What The Fish

What the Fish's wacky brand of humor works half the time but confounds in equal measure. It touches no chords and remains consciously superficial but it does have an ensemble that has clicked in a story oddly fresh in these times.

WHAT THE FISH is just another one of the mass-produced comedy dramas that work with the audience when they are in a group. Unfortunately, when watching the film, one can't help but wonder what the title, WHAT THE FISH, really means and how does the film derive such a title for a seemingly comic storyline.

It is to Kapadia's credit that the film is watchable, even if intermittently. How you wish this super-talented actress could find a film that exploits her comic timing. The rest of the cast does well, but is let down by the film. Sigh, yes. This is one of those films you reckon the title and concept is far more absorbing than the film itself. What's the point then?

The 'idea' behind the movie can be appreciated for its novelty but it fails to develop into a full-fledged comedy of errors, which was the intention. If you like funny movies, there are plenty more fish in the sea.

If there is one thing that director Gurmmeet Singh gets right about his film, it's the title. What the Fish is filled with absurd situations and an array of supposedly quirky, certainly irresponsible characters whose job is to annoy you. Do they succeed! Their accomplice in this crime is a script which prides itself in being inane but fails terribly in being even remotely funny.

An absolutely lame and ridiculous film barring Dimple Kapadia's scorching screen presence, it makes no pretense about being utterly stupid. It is an empty film with no thrill, no excitement and mostly no fun.

Even though the actors Manu Rishi, Manjot Singh and Anand Tiwari were pretty decent, their efforts seemed to make no difference to this half-hearted attempt of a movie. The director doesn't explore any of the stories within the story in depth and just smugly skims on the surface, leaving the viewer absolutely uninvolved. Wish the unique concept was better utilised. A shoddy, lazy film.

...s a disappointing case of a lost opportunity. The film is replete with chaos and unfunny squirmy sequences so it's best you stay away from it.

Dimple Kapadia gets it right as a grouchy old woman. Watch it for her performance and a crisp story.

Gurmmeet Singh's direction is ordinary. His narrative style does not succeed in keeping the audience's interest alive for too long. Of course, the weak script is also to be blamed. It will meet with a disastrous fate at the ticket windows.

Given the wishy-washy story and the inept direction by Gurmeet Singh, the usually dependable actors, Kapadia and Manu Rishi, are unable to make anything out of it.

... a film that must have been funny when it was conceived, but for a plot that hinges on a goldfish and a plant, it needed some skilled direction and writing to make it work. This film has neither.