How women take up cudgels against sexual oppression and prove their worth while at it, is the stuff this film is made of

Hello Darling: movie review

HELLO DARLING
A; COMEDY
Dir: Manoj Tiwari
Cast: Jaaved Jaafery, Gul Panag, Eesha Koppikhar, Celina Jaitly, Divya Dutta, Chunky Pandey
Rating: *1/2

WHAT'S IT ABOUT: How women take up cudgels against sexual oppression and prove their worth while at it, is the stuff this film is made of. That, and inspiration from Hollywood film
9 to 5.
The vice-president (Jaafery) of a firm has been spreading tales about his illicit affair with his secretary, Candy (Jaitly) at the workplace, unknown to her. A creative head, Mansi (Panag) has been passed over for promotions and hates Candy's guts for 'compromising'. The latest entrant, Sat (Koppikhar) is a Haryanvi gal with a sharp tongue but a blunt dimaag, who catches Mr Vice's eye. The three bond over their hatred for the man.
A mix-up ensures that the three get blackmailed by their boss into spending a night with him. They take him up on the offer, lure him to Mansi's house and after a short seduction, tie him up.u00a0u00a0

WHAT'S HOT: Chunky excels in slapstick, Divya entertains for as long as she needs to. Some scenes are bang-on funny.

WHAT'S NOT: Spliced with equal doses double entendre and softcore smut, Hello Darling makes for uncomfortable watching. Jaaved actually flips the bird (shows them the finger, you know which one) in one scene and you seriously wonder how the censors missed that!
It is never really clear why Mansi's designation (Creative and R&D head) is quite unlike her job description (getting coffee for the boss, fashion designing, making presentations, and driving sales upward). Jokes get a little too repetitive.

WHAT'S THAT: While you realise Mansi's a somewhat strong woman, her bondage gear really takes you by surprise.
The name's Harddick (We kid you not, that's exactly how it's spelt in the film) only serves to underline that the guy's a tharki (sorry, letch doesn't quite have the same ring or do as much justice) with only one thing in mind. Why repeat the obvious?
The chaddi-banian chor's (Vrajesh Hirjee as a closet gay who comes out to Harddick) entry feels too convenient.
Harddick's Gujju wife Purviben (Divya Dutta) calls him Bhai everytime she opens her mouth. Which guy wouldn't get freaked out?

WHAT TO DO? A guy was walking out with his girl while we were exiting. He said to her, "Thoda timepass tha, thoda pakau". "Duh," said she. The two couldn't have put it better. So I'll leave it at that.

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