Movie review: Jeena Hai Toh Thok Daal

Jeena Hai Toh Thok Daal
A; Crime
Dir: Manish Vatsalya
Cast: Ravi Kishen, Manish Vatsalya, Yashpal Sharma, Rahul Kumar, Hazel Crowney, Murali Sharma
'1/2

Basically revolving around four rustic outlaws from the quintessential North who visit Mumbai on a murderous mission, Jeena Hai Toh Thok Daal (JHTTD) is actually a flashback of how things went from ugly to lovely to ugly again. The protagonist has no issue with morality as long as his team is getting paid. However, his attitude takes a reverse-turn the moment he falls in love with the very person he's supposed to assassinate. This is also the point when the story starts developing loopholes. Our hero once even quotes verses from Gita!

The semblance of the plot is badly disturbed when its screenplay prefers to move in a predictable direction. Sloppy camerawork couldn't be hidden for long either. Yes, there are moments to cherish but that's what they are: fleeting moments. The desire for more remains. Punctuated with expletives-ridden jokes that might not sound funny to those who aren't from the UP-Bihar belt, the closure turns more mysterious with a Shakespearean twist. What started as an act of reminiscence ends on a preachy note.

Director Manish Vatsalya got almost everything right as an actor though the same can't be said about his direction since he's also playing a borderline psycho character. The breadth of his performance is staggeringly precise. Ravi Kishen stays suitable in his role as the protagonist who can cry like a baby for his love.

Yashpal Sharma's avuncular persona in the film draws the most laughter. Rahul Kumar seems promising. Hazel smiles a lot and hams as less as possible. Murali Sharma is brilliant as a corrupt cop. JHTTD was presumably made keeping in mind a particular set of audiences and these folks are bound to watch the film.u00a0