Freaky Ali: Not freaky enough

Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Arbaaz Khan, Amy Jackson, Jas Arora

Rated: 5/10

It seems that the director and producers are fans of Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s contribution to acting and have made this film merely to serenade his histrionic prowess.

Nawaz, as Freaky Ali, delivers. He encapsulates the nuances of an unemployed chawl youth dabbling in failed businesses and mildly illegal acts till he gets to playing golf and rising to the top without, however, changing much in his personality.

As far as creating a movie out of nothing is concerned, Nawaz is brilliant in holding it up. He is adequately flippant, fearless, brazen and foul mouthed when needed. He has the simple goodness in him and also the aspirations and greed for money that are endemic to poor lads.

However, even this powerful actor gets lost in the patchiness of the film and that’s sad for this differently-abled effort. The script is shallow, the events in the film pretty few and the laughter element razor thin.

Arbaaz Khan as his committed friend is quite flabby yet entirely unfleshed in his role. Even the guest appearance of Jackie Shroff as the unkempt, slightly block-headed maha-dada sits uncomfortably on the end. Seema Biswas is wasted in a do-little role. Amy Jackson is a welcome (because pretty) distraction but she comes into the frame very infrequently.

For Nawaz fans there’s him. For others, there’s nothing. 

Source: Sunday Pioneer, 11 September, 2016