Yamla Pagla Deewana

Deols all the way

The much awaited Yamla Pagla is released with much fanafre. Yamla Pagla Deewana is about the Deol trio. It`s not every day that a famous father-sons team plays real-life roles on screen .And the Deols do exceedingly well. Each has a definitive role. Dharmendra`s characterisation of a lovable rogue is a bit wonky even as he lustily hits on foreign tourists calling them "meri Madonna". But his charm is still undiluted and untouched by age.


Sunny Deol is in form especially in the superbly choreographed action scenes. These scenes, reminiscent of Rajnikanth-style action, have Sunny being hit with a metal rod and the rod breaking, and pots being flung at him which he breaks one-by-one.When the Deols come together in a film that spoofs the best of their cinematic work, expect an unfettered celebration of dum, daru, dileri and a lot of dhamaal thrown in to boot. Hand pumps are not uprooted, nor maudlin suicide speeches actually given from atop water tanks. But there are moments of self-spoofs aplenty that bring a somewhat cracked grin to your lips.


Bobby has the comedic and romantic portions where he performs uninhibitedly. Kulraj Randhawa makes a confident debut and is a talent to look out for.



Director Samir karnik`s Yamla Pagla Deewana is a film that, if made with restraint and a lot of editing, might have been a laugh riot. As it is, it is an overlong, tiresome watch, with the Garam Dharam taking the back seat and the young gun Bobby Deol leading the show.

So it’s tragic that most of YPD hinges on an actor who yet has to give one memorable cinematic moment, while Sunny, who comes up with the best performance of the trio, is relegated to being a second fiddle, flexing muscles and helping the young bro in love.

Dharam Singh (Dharmendra) and Gajodhar Singh (Bobby Deol) are two con men in Banaras. Paramveer (Sunny Deol) is an NRI from Canada who comes to Banaras to find his long lost brother and father, the aforementioned swindlers. Together the trio make quite a team - Dharam and Gajodhar going about their con games with an added muscle power from the whisky guzzler of a Jat from Canada.


It’s an unabashed celebration of everything Punjabi and you’d be a twit to expect some refined humour here. Crass jokes fly thick and fast. Some work, many don’t. But when you see the three Deols grooving to Dharmendra’s signature dance from the ‘Main Jat Yamla Pagla Deewana’ song from the 1975 comedy Pratigya, some of your money is sure vasool-ed.