Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi stars Sonakshi Sinha in the lead role. Eros International
Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi stars Sonakshi Sinha in the lead role. Eros International
Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi stars Sonakshi Sinha in the lead role. Eros International
Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi stars Sonakshi Sinha in the lead role. Eros International

Film review: Happy Phir Bhaag Jayegi


Kumar Shyam
  • English
  • Arabic

Credits

Produced by: Colour Yellow Productions and Eros Now
Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
Star rating: 2.5/5

If you have not watched the first Happy outing by writer-director Mudassar Aziz, the first half of the sequel runs the risk of losing its audience. But as much as the 2016 Happy Bhaag Jayegi was a slow burning hit, good things come to those who can stick through the lazy plot and initial flat one-liners in Happy Phir Bhaag Jayegi.

The second half comes alive in this situational comedy through a solid new female lead backed by a great cast effort that leaves you entertained and smiling as you step out of the theatre.

There is not much of a plot in this mistaken-identity tale that clings on to a comedy-of-errors template. Instead the storyline is a mere excuse for the ensemble cast to poke fun at language barriers around the thorny India-Pakistan-China relationship. That is achieved by lazily swapping identities and relying on cliches.

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The main premise is a group of Hindi-speaking Chinese gangsters who set out to kidnap Happy (Diana Penty) and her would-be husband Guddu (Ali Fazal) who are on the run. In a bit of a continuity fudge, Happy's character morphs into actress Sonakshi Sinha.

She escapes the gang and finds a saviour in an introverted Indian embassy worker Khushwant Gill (Jassi Gill). But Happy isn't the only one on the baddies list. They pick up Happy's other suitor, the Amritsar thug-politician Daman Bagga (Jimmy Sheirgill) from his wedding and Pakistani cop Usman Afridi (Piyush Mishra) on the eve of his retirement in Lahore – all because they were once friends of the Pakistani ex-governor’s son (Abhay Deol) from the first film. Go figure.

Everyone's paths cross, and Khushi and Bagga vie for Happy's love while we are given a tour of China, which is actually Thailand. A glut of crude Chinese character names are introduced mostly to add to the spate of terrible one-liners. 
Even the villain is named Adnan Chow (Denzil Smith) but it is not clear why. Nor is it clear why he wants to get his hands on Happy, except some loose dialogue about Pakistan-China business turnover worth millions while jumping on one feet to practice a step of Bhangra, the Indian folklore dance of Punjab.
If Aziz, the director, would have spent that much time more on a crisper plot, the comedy may have come across much better.
All the flaws should not take away from the fact that Sinha effortlessly steps into Penty's shoes as Happy. She carries the swag of an outspoken Punjabi girl and holds the mantle of lead actress well. Once again, she has proved she can be the main protagonist like in Lootera and Ittefaq.
The parts involving Sheirgill and Mishra's self-depreciatory puns on the India-Pakistan rivalry are simplistic, yet hilarious. Like the movie, Sheirgill grows into his character as the macho Punjabi who never gets the girl. He makes his failures and expressions effortless.
Debutant Jassi Gill and Khurrana play their parts perfectly. In the end, the efforts of the ensemble cast bring this one home and the one-liners finally fall into place making this a one-time enjoyable fare.

MATCH INFO

FA Cup final

Chelsea 1
Hazard (22' pen)

Manchester United 0

Man of the match: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

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The Perfect Couple

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor

Creator: Jenna Lamia

Rating: 3/5

Fight card

1. Featherweight 66kg: Ben Lucas (AUS) v Ibrahim Kendil (EGY)

2. Lightweight 70kg: Mohammed Kareem Aljnan (SYR) v Alphonse Besala (CMR)

3. Welterweight 77kg:Marcos Costa (BRA) v Abdelhakim Wahid (MAR)

4. Lightweight 70kg: Omar Ramadan (EGY) v Abdimitalipov Atabek (KGZ)

5. Featherweight 66kg: Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Kagimu Kigga (UGA)

6. Catchweight 85kg: Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) v Iuri Fraga (BRA)

7. Featherweight 66kg: Yousef Al Husani (UAE) v Mohamed Allam (EGY)

8. Catchweight 73kg: Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Ahmed Abdelraouf of Egypt (EGY)

9.  Featherweight 66kg: Jaures Dea (CMR) v Andre Pinheiro (BRA)

10. Catchweight 90kg: Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Juscelino Ferreira (BRA)

Uefa Nations League

League A:
Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, France, England, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Iceland, Croatia, Netherlands

League B:
Austria, Wales, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Turkey

League C:
Hungary, Romania, Scotland, Slovenia, Greece, Serbia, Albania, Norway, Montenegro, Israel, Bulgaria, Finland, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania

League D:
Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Liechtenstein, Malta, Andorra, Kosovo, San Marino, Gibraltar

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl

Power: 153hp at 6,000rpm

Torque: 200Nm at 4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Price: Dh99,000

On sale: now

'The worst thing you can eat'

Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.

Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines: 

Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.

Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.

Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.

Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.

Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

Tonight's Chat on The National

Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.

Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.

Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Credits

Produced by: Colour Yellow Productions and Eros Now
Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
Star rating: 2.5/5