'Zokkomon' could have had more power and punch

Film: Zokkomon (U)
Cast: Darsheel Safary, Anupam Kher, Manjari Fadnis, Sheeba Chaddha
Director: Satyajit Bhatkal
Rating: **

Zokkomon has a Harry Potter hangover.

There is an orphan, Kunal (Safary), then there’s an evil Chacha Deshraj (Kher) and Chachi (Chaddha) who ill-treat the orphan and there are two friends who are Kunal’s confidantes. The only difference being, the young superhero may not be able to be a cult figure that the boy wizard has managed to become.

Chachaji Deshraj is an educationist of a different kind. He subjects little children to torturous teachers like Masterji (Tinnu Anand) and other such unimaginable pains who torture the characters and the audience. The greedy uncle abandons the young Kunal in an amusement park far away from their home in a place whose name you can never understand enough to pronounce. Eyeing the fortune left for Kunal by his dead parents, Deshraj declares the boy dead. Kunal, who is very much alive, bumps into a street artist Kittu (Fadnis).
 
Kunal, somehow, finds his way back to the village which reels under the evils of superstition and blind faith, all engineered by Deshraj and a swami. He joins hands with a recluse scientist Vivek Rai (Kher, again in a double role) living in the village to liberate people from the clutches of Deshraj & co. The villagers, however, continue to believe that Kunal has returned as a ghost. Thus comes to life Zokkomon, a superhero on a mission.

While the story written by Satyajit Bhatkal (also director), Lancy Fernandes and Svati Chakravarty Bhatkal, may seem fresh for its innovative use of the child superhero premise, the boring songs and long drawn-out chase sequences make Zokkomon a laborious watch.

The acting talent on display is above average with Kher’s double role being the best among the lot. Safary is just about satisfactory and this time he’s totally devoid of the charm factor we saw in Taare Zameen Par. Tinnu Anand, Fadnis and Chaddha easily manage to go over the top with their respective roles, making the film seem rather hamish. The screenplay (also by the story writers) could have been much tighter. The film could be more enjoyable if Zokkomon was introduced earlier on in the film. Addition of more scenes with Zokkomon would have surely been a treat for kids. The way it is now, Zokkomon will find it difficult to please the restless young audience it is made for.

With limited special effects and unnecessary running time, this Disney production is way below the mark when compared to slick and smart Hollywood films on offer for the young audience.