If there was a category of films called Bengaluru films, #DanishSait would surely rule over them. After having provided undiluted joy to thousands of commuters stuck in rush-hour traffic in Fever 104’s signature prank “Supaari”, he has now graduated to films that are outright whacky. Did you know that his #SoundCloud account has over 32 million plays and he has emoted eight different alter-egos. Bangaloreans will for sure recall Nagraj, Joseph Chacko and Asghar!
Leave you senses aside and grab that bowl of popcorn on one of these rainy days if you want a couple of hours of totally insane, wicked humour. Watch the Kannada film #FrenchBiriyani on #AmazonPrime. This is the fourth offering from the Puneeth Rajkumar Productions’ stable after #Kaavaludari (https://www.ashoksfive.com/post/kavaludaari-kannada-cinema-s-very-own-neo-noir-thriller), #MayaBazaar (https://www.ashoksfive.com/post/maya-bazaar-2016-a-heady-cocktail-of-odd-ball-characters-and-scintillating-screenplay) and Law. A very interesting portfolio of films indeed!
Director #PannagaBharana tells the story of a French national Simon (Sal Yusuf) who lands in Bengaluru and in a mix-up with a local crime lord Don Muscle Mani ( Mahantesh Hiremath), is saved by the auto-driver Asghar ( Danish Sait). Along the way, there is over-the-top humour, sexual inuendo and tongue-in-cheek satire. You need to have a sense of the local Bengaluru street-talk to appreciate some of the dialogues but once you get a hang of that, you are in for a rollicking ride.
1. Watch out for the brilliant portrayal of Bengaluru’s central district of Shivaji Nagar, where Business and Bustling, Gallis and Golas, Furniture and Fashion, Haleem and Hamburger, Fast Food and Fine-dine, Hardware and upholstery, Cut-piece and Coiffeure all combine in a melting pot that is unique. Here you find Kannada and Urdu co-existing along with Tamil and Malayalam. There is no attempt to showcase the locality as anything different from the raw and natural milieu. It is a cray world out there populated by crazy people all through!
2. #DanishSait stands out for his trademark humour as he wades into his characteristic “againest” instead of “against” and “Prawns” instead of “France”. He is brilliant and his sense of improv humour shines through as he plays the well-meaning but bumbling Asghar. With Danish around, a reference to IPL or RCB cannot be far away and true to this, he signs off with an auto race where he declares “Ee sala cup namde”. Bringing up the rest of the cast is Disha Madan, Pitrobash Tripathy and Mahantesh. I thought Ranagayana Raghu stood out in the role of the Inspector and the ease with which he essayed that role was fabulous.
3. #PannagaBharana is the son of famous Kannada director T S Nagabharana and an alumnus of the New York Film Academy and here he teams up with writer Avinash Balekkala to put together a total laugh riot. You will notice the same flavour as #DelhiBelly, especially in the scenes with the Don Mani. Sample the scene where he sticks the water purifier salesman’s head into the machine itself and leaves him hanging there. Then again, when he mentions the news reporter Malini, the salesman’s eyes light up and he says “Hema Malini? She is our brand ambassador”. Clearly a fearless and no-holds barred sense of comic humour!
4. The songs by Vasuki Vaibhav need special mention, especially the Hogbitta Charles and the The Benguluru song. Puneeth Rajkumar sings the other one “Yen Madodu Swamy”. The cameo by Chikkana is special and is set up just when you think the big laughs are over.
5. Shivakumar provided the production design – the scenes with Charles and his son are brilliant. In one scene, Don Mani talks about Gandhiji and points to the picture on the wall; you notice the Johnny Walker man instead of the Dandi march you expect! The sets and colour are bright and kitsch and lend attitude to the characters and uplift the narrative.
#FrenchBiriyani is perhaps twenty minutes too long. It is not a film that everyone will relish and almost belongs to the comedy genre popular in the nineties. There is Erectile Dysfunction, Cow excreta, drugs and toilet humour all thrown in. A cow swallows Simon’s mobile phone and when they plot to kill it, it moos “Mitron”! It can’t get crazier than this. Decide if this is your cup of tea!
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