By Indu Mirani

Cast: Rimii Sen , Shahid Kapur, Akshay Kumar, Om Puri , Suneil Shetty, Vivek Oberoi and Paresh Rawal
Producer: Firoz Nadiadwala
Director: Vikram Bhatt

To begin with, lets get this clear, tough most of the cast of Deewane Huye Paagal, along with the producer, Firoz Nadiadwala and director, Vikram Bhatt are the same as that of Awara Paagal Deewana, the film isn’t half as entertaining.

This is an almost frame to frame copy of the Cameron Diaz starrer ‘There’s something about Mary’ but without the chutzpah and lightness of touch. DHP, instead, is laboured and takes refuge in overlong action sequences.

Everyone’s nuts about Rimii Sen in college, including the first year student cum waiter at local café, Shahid Kapur. When she leaves college to settle in Dubai she adds conman Akshay Kumar, Suneil Shetty and Paresh Rawal to her harem. And that’s not all. As the innocent keeper of the formula to the safe that holds the secret formula to the elixir of youth, she is also being hounded by a badmash Om Puri and his three sons. Whew.

The only genuinely funny person in this whole lot is Akshay Kumar who has the knack of throwing one-liners with a straight face, which makes them even funnier than they are.

At several times in the course of the film, you wish they’d get along and hurry up. Instead long after it has ceased being funny, it goes on and on. With Shahid Kapur playing fourth fiddle to Akshay, Suneil and Paresh, and Rimii looking more than a dozen years older than him, there isn’t even the youth quotient to keep the film going.

Gags are rather tedious and the saving grace is the action, only that never seems to end once it has begun. The climax sequence, for example, goes on long after it’s novelty value has ended.

Music is weak, and it is the sheer energy of the dancers, whether Akshay or Shahid, that gives the songs some watchability.

When even a normally bankable actor like Paresh Rawal flounders in his role, one can understand the lack of scope for any other actor. Suneil Shetty, playing a paraplegic is good in one scene only, where he attempts to pick up his wallet. Vivek Oberoi, playing the sutradhar is the most annoying part of the film.

Disappointing fare indeed.