The 'After Hrs' review: ' Mr Bhatti On Chutti'

Film: Mr Bhatti On Chutti
Director: Karan Razdan
Cast: Anupam Kher, Pawan Shankar, Shakti Kapoor, Bhairavi Goswami, Emma Kearney
Rating: *1/2

Mr Bhatti On Chutti is a film that’s been long in the making, but before you begin mumbling about the protagonist’s obsession with George Bush,  actor Anupam Kher prepares the ground for the film. The film, he informs (or rather warns) was conceived way back in 2005-2006, when US war on Iraq took precedence over everything around the world.

And so we enter the world of Mr Bhatti (Kher), a bank employee, who’s a die-hard fan of Amitabh Bachchan, but seems to have modelled himself on Inspector Jacques ‘Pink Panther’ Closeau. He’s more concerned about solving crimes in local gullies and  contacting the then US Prez George Bush to discuss peace plan than his own humble bay in a Nallasopara bank. The boss (Anjan Srivastava) is most relieved when Bhatti announces that he’s going on a holiday as he’s a won a trip abroad. While the boss is delirious about Bhatti going on a chutti, Bhatti himself is in for trouble. As the film unravels, Bhatti it seems turns out to be a lookalike of one of the world’s most wanted terrorist, which cops are quick to spot on. And soon enough, Bhatti finds himself in middle of a conspiracy that resembles one of his idol’s popular film (Don, if you please),  replete with babes and bombs that have to go awry in the end.

It seems a little unfair to judge a film that finally made it to the screen after nearly a decade. Call it bad luck, but when director Karan Razdan made this film, the ’plex culture had to still set in, which explains why it took him so long to find takers for a film that’s anything, but commercial. And when he did, it seems outdated, with a humour that seems forced (and painful). It’s left to the very talented Anupam Kher to hold the show together, which he does, but it’s not exactly his best. He has been able to carry off such buffoonery with class in films like Dil Hai Ki Maanta Nahin.

The conversation between Bhatti and the receptionist Ruth does make us laugh though. Everytime he asks her ‘Did Bush leave me a message?’ her expressions are priceless. However, it’s only when Big B enters the frame in the end, that it crackles with a different energy, but by then are we really interested?