Rajveer Singh aka RV (Saif Ali Khan) is a pit-crew worker in a racing team whose dream is to become a race car driver. He is discovered by team manager Hiral Patel aka Harry (Jaaved Jafferi) who gives him the chance of a lifetime-to race! On the same day he bumps into a music student Radhika (Rani Mukherji) who he falls in love with instantly. RV transforms the unsuccessful team SPEEDING SADDLES into a successful one and along the way becomes the numbero uno race car driver in the country. Fame, fortune and love…RV has it all and he marries his sweetheart as well. Fatherhood follows for the happily married couple and life couldn’t be better for RV, until calamity strikes and RV meets with a horrific accident. He is hospitalized for a few months, and when he tries to make his comeback as a racer he realizes that he has been mentally scarred. From here on his life takes a turn for the worse as he meets with failure after failure. He is forced to auction his house and move into a small run-down flat. While Radhika finds a job playing the piano in restaurants and birthday parties, RV tries his hand at a number of things from Pizza delivery to driving a Taxi. However RV and Radhika don’t tell their kids the truth. They pretend that this is all part of a T.V reality show where they have to live poor only to win a grand prize at the end of it all. Further cracks start building into their relationship and happiness eludes RV and his family. Suddenly an incident happens that changes RV’s life for ever. Determined to win back everything he had lost, RV gets behind the wheel again to reclaim his lost title….the rest is you can guess!
The story of the movie is infact an amalgamation of a number of films. The theme of the “underdog” is one that has been witnessed a number of times and using sports as a backdrop to show the rise and fall of a sportsperson has been depicted many times before. It would be unfair to say that Siddarth Raj Anand has copied his story from one source as the movie on the whole is an original piece of work which draws inspiration from countless sources. The basic structure of the story has been borrowed from films like ROCKY and CINDERELLA MAN which both used boxing as their backdrop. Like in ROCKY, our central protagonist here becomes the number one, gets fame and fortune only to lose it all only to get one chance to reclaim it all. The movie also borrows from CINDERELLA MAN with the whole “poverty” angle and the scene where Saif begs for money has been ripped-off directly from the film. The racing backdrop is an instant reminder of DAYS OF THUNDER, and the recent TALADEGA NIGHTS, while the whole “pretend nothings wrong” illusion draws inspiration from LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL. In amongst all this is offcourse Yashraj’s usual brand of schmultz and sugar in ample doses. The story on the whole actually works rather nicely when focussing on the “underdog” angle of things; however one cannot say the same about the “poverty” angle which comes across as forced and contrived. It’s hard to believe that RV’s kids are actually poor as such because they can’t eat hamburgers?! Habib Faisal’s screenplay ranges from great to not-so-great! The initial scenes start out slow, and the love story that prevails offers the viewer nothing new. The movie only picks up from when Saif gets married and his subsequent crash. The sequences from there on depicting Saif’s struggles and frustrations work well and engage the viewer. On the other hand all the “cute” scenes with the kids didn’t work well at all. Its evident that the movie was being made with the kids in mind, as this is one of Yashraj’s most “kid friendly” films in a while, however after a point all the sugar and saccharine gets a bit too much. The build-up to the climax is good (not great) and the “comeback” of Saif and the final race is just superb and has the desired impact. In order for an “underdog” film to really work, the central character must really be able to connect with the audience; the audience must WANT the character to strike back and to win! In my view, this could’ve been explored a LOT more, which in turn would’ve made TA RA RUM PUM a more sound, and ultimately involving film. Here the “underdog” angle works, but only on a surface level.
As a director Siddarth Raj Anand takes strides as a film-maker and TA RA RUM PUM is a much more defined effort than his earlier film SALAAM NAMASTEY! Though his vision is one that I don’t necessarily agree with, it’s clear that Anand is sure about the type of film he is making. This is every inch an “appeal to everyone Blockbuster” which Yashraj is so known to make. The movie is infact quiet hollow at times, and only works due to a spirited performance by the ever reliable Saif Ali Khan as well as the kick-ass racing sequences. The emotional impact that a film like this needs to make in order to connect with the viewer this movie lacks. At times, the emotional scenes have little to no affect on the viewer mainly because the viewer doesn’t feel any audience sympathy for RV and his family. However the second half does manage to strike a chord with the viewer in many ways, and the final 25 minutes of the movie are simply terrific to say the least and the high point of the movie. This is very much a “bastardised step brother of Hollywood” merged with our very own Desi flavour and though Anand doesn’t get it right 100%, he does show a marked improvement from his previous film.
Habib Faisals dialogues range from great to below average.
At the centre of TA RA RUM PUM lies a “saving” performance from Saif Ali Khan! This is undoubtedly a character that Saif can sleepwalk through. It’s a simple character, and one that has no doubt been written with Saif in mind, and he slips into the role with effortless ease and lends so much authenticity and credibility to the character that one at times feels that his performance is too good for the film! Don’t get me wrong, this is in no way an “Award Winning” performance as such, but Saif’s earnestness really shines through here and the movie is ample proof of how far Saif has come not only as an actor but as a Star as he efficiently carries the movie on his shoulders. The metro, cool, hip character is right up Saif’s alley and he is sleepwalks through the first half with ease. His comic timing is spot-on though he downplays the comedy here quiet a bit and delivers a more natural performance relying on his natural wit and charm. However it’s the second half where Saif springs a surprise as he brings out the frustrations and emotional depth of his character with surprising clarity. His arguments with Rani and Jaaved, his subsequent breakdown leading up to the final race are all scenes where Saif simply shines and proves yet again he is one of the most dependable actors we have in Bollywood today! Given the movie is just about to cross 40 crores, one can safely say that Saif delivers with TA RA RUM PUM!
Rani Mukherji plays her part well. One thing to make clear upfront is that this is not a difficult role at all. Infact, the role didn’t even need an actress of Rani’s calibre to play the part as the role is simple and straight forward however in saying that Rani does manage to spring a surprise with a rather “nice” and controlled performance after some irritating performances last year. She looks simply GORGEOUS here from her hairstyle to her sexy wardrobe and her chemistry with Saif is very amiable. She is at ease playing a mother to two kids and exudes warmth and sincerity in the part.
Jaaved Jafferi excels in his part. I’m actually one of the few people who found Jafferi hilarious in SALAAM NAMASTEY, however those expecting a performance along the same lines will be totally surprised as this is a much more “real” and “normal” character. Jafferi is an amazing actor who has never quiet got his due in Bollywood and this is again ample proof of that. The role may not be anything great, but Jafferi elevates the part with his sense of timing and mere presence. Not only the comic scenes, but it’s the serious scene where Jafferi shines and leaves his mark. Victor Bannerjee doesn’t have much to do and plays his small part well. Bhaarat Dhabolkar is effective in his part. Angelina Idnani and Ali Haji (the cute kid from FANAA) play their parts well, though they do get irritating at times.
Vishal-Shekhars music in the movie is an outright disappointment. None of the songs really caught my attention, and furthermore the picturisation of the songs aren’t imaginative at all. The SFX laden song with the bears and kids is cringe worthy. Salim-Sulaimans background score on the other hand is excellent and elevates many scenes, specially the racing sequences!
On the other hand, the movie is simply fantastic technically. Binod Pradhans camerawork is simply dazzling to say the least. Pradhan captures the look and feel of the movie simply superbly, and creates the right kind of ambience needed for this movie. He has shot New York with panache, and much better than K-jo in his movies. But the real masterstroke here is the racing sequences which are of International standards. The sequences are a novel experience for the Indian movie goer simply because scenes like these have never been witnessed on the Indian screen before and they are simply mind-boggling. George Aguillar (USA) and Steve Kelso’s work is up to international standards and it wouldn’t be an understatement to say that alongside Saif’s performance the highlight of the movie is the racing sequences. Sharmishta Roy’s artwork is commendable as always.
All up TA RA RUM PUM is a watchable fare. Given my expectations were pit bottom for this movie, I’m actually surprised that I enjoyed the movie on the whole. No doubt there are flaws left right and centre and the movie in many parts leaves a lot to be desired for. However the whole under-dog theme has been done well, and mixed with Saif’s saving performance and some outstanding racing sequences TA RA RUM PUM elevates itself to a “watchable” status!
Final Rating: * * *
