Bhaagam Bhag - Don't run too far

Priyadarshan's latest film is a letdown for fans expecting the finesse of Hera Pheri. But why worry about the plot? A slapstick comedy boasting the talents of Akshay Kumar, Govinda (in his comeback role?) and Paresh Rawal has to be entertaining.

A theatre troupe travels to London sans its heroine (Tanushree Dutta). Manager (Paresh Rawal) exhorts heroes Akshay and Govinda to find a new female star for the show. The two set out on a hunt for a good-looking Indian girl who can shake a leg with them.

Enter heroin smugglers (Sharad Saxena and gang), local hoodlums (led by Shakti Kapoor), a woman with suicidal tendencies (Lara Dutta), a non-nonsense police commissioner (Jackie Shroff) and before long our two heroes find themselves running all over the British capital.

Don't bother about the story. The one-liners will suffice. Add some chartbuster songs (Pyar ka Signal, Tere Bin) by Pritam and the sound and sights of London. And your recipe for a Bollywood potboiler is complete.

In the second half, comedy gives way to a murder mystery reminiscent of guess what - Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo. And does the final scene play out at the Big Ben?

Rating: ***
Remarks: Forget your brains at home, sit back and have some fun. Govinda plays second fiddle to Akshay. And wish there had been more of Tanushree in the film.