Well there was a moral to it I guess but the treatment and narration was so artless and boring that it could put you to sleep. Vinay Pathak tries to keep things real and empathy worthy but the character he plays just doesn’t seem to be from the real world.

You keep wanting this film to ‘ho ja shuru’, but ‘Kaagaz Ke Fools’ doesn’t have the feet for it.

Right from the word go, the film lacks any substance which could be reason enough to hold the attention and the interest of the viewers. As the film progresses, the audiences’ interest starts deteriorating. And the only person who is to be blamed for this is none other than the film’s director Anil Kumar Chaudhary, who lacks directorial skills. His amateurish direction is visible from the fact that, almost in every scene, there are onlookers who are happily watching the film’s shoot!

When you have a talented bunch of actors like Pathak and Saurabh Shukla, you expect the film to have some meaning. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen here. Amidst all the chaos and disagreements, you keep looking for a reason behind the story but fail to find one.

I’m usually a sucker for stories about frustrated artists. But this one is presented in a dated and garish manner that makes you wonder if the filmmakers think this is actually a groundbreaking concept.

The film also employs jokes that have been handed down from generations. Since the scenes fail to create an impact, director Anil Kumar Chaudhary takes the aid of abrupt low-key musical insertions that are expected to, at once, make the screen tragic. It does get tragic, but for the audiences, rather than the characters. Despite the poor script, poorer dialogues and co-stars, Saurabh Shukla and Vinay Pathak (Raima to a certain extent) manage to deliver an earnest performance.

Same was the case with this film. It made a bloody fool of us!

Ironically, and perhaps reflecting the sad state of Bollywood’s growth, in 2015 we get a film titled ‘Kaagaz ke Fools’, which is so regressive and dated that it just might have made some sense back in the 50s. Well, if nothing, the film makes us painfully aware of the difference between a phool and a fool.

Questionable casting aside, the production values on this movie are near abysmal. Most of the film is shot in Delhi. But the choice of locations is poor. The camerawork is no better than rookie documentaries. And the songs are neither pleasant on the ear nor needed in the film. Yet, they’re thrust into the most absurd situations. It’s a very lackluster attempt at making a commercial film.

Debut director Anil Kumar Chaudhary whips up a film that makes a few quick points with a one-dimensional and simplistic narrative. The film does have a few moments like the mother’s unconventional ways of cheering up her upset daughter and the uneasy equations between successful and struggling friends. However one wishes the rest of the film was as heartfelt as them. In the end, you are left with the thought that the film could have been so much more.