Plan Movie Review

White Feather Films P. Ltd.'s PLAN, directed by Hriday Shetty, is a typical masala flick – it has action [well executed], romance [half-baked], songs [tuneful], visuals [eye-filling], skin show [classily executed], the works… yet, the outcome is not as engrossing as one would've expected it to be!

Reason? While the writers [Yash-Vinay] must've worked doubly hard in making a thoroughly enjoyable first half, one presumes they must've gone for a vacation while scripting the post-interval portions. The two halves are diametrically opposite in terms of content and impact.

When four strangers meet in a train, sharing their plans about their future, little do they know that Mumbai has other plans for them.

Bobby [Dino Morea] plans of becoming a superstar. Omi [Rohit Roy] plans of settling scores with the man who had robbed his father. Jai [Bikram Saluja] plans of reuniting with his lost love. Lucky [Sanjay Suri] plans of getting lucky at gambling.

Their plans get off to a great start. However, they run out of money when Lucky loses everything in a gamble. Now, if they don't pay their debtor back, they would end up losing their lives.

Kidnapping the rich businessman who they had seen splurging money in a dance bar seemed like the best plan. But it turns out to be their worst nightmare. The rich businessman turns out to be Musabhai [Sanjay Dutt], the man who controls Mumbai's underworld.

However, Musa figures out that his own men were trying to get rid of him. And the four boys had actually ended up saving his life. In the end, with the help of the four boys, Musa gets back at Sultan [Mahesh Manjrekar], his opponent.

An appealing story is presented in a stylised format by debutante director Hriday Shetty. The first few reels focus on the four kids arriving in the city with dreams in their eyes. Although the story doesn't move in the first half-an-hour, the fast pace of the film, besides the incidents that unfold one after the other, keep the viewer in splits most of the time.

For instance, the sequences between Dino Morea and his father [Dilip Kumar look-alike] and uncle [Shatrughan Sinha look-alike] are sure to bring the house down.

Ditto for the sequences when the four set foot in the redlight area – where Bikram Saluja's friend is put up.

The story gathers steam when the four lose every penny they possess in a gambling den and owe the winner Rs. 7 lacs. Besides being stylishly executed, the sequence brings about a sudden twist in the story.

Soon thereafter, the introduction of Sanjay Dutt peps up the goings-on further. The subsequent kidnapping of Dutt and the sequence when they realise that the person they've abducted is not a mere biggie, but an underworld don, takes the graph of the film to an all-time high.

But the post-interval portions spoil the show. The reasons are simple –
. The story comes to a screeching halt and starts focussing on the romantic side of each of the characters. The Dutt – Priyanka romance at least looks convincing, but the romance between Dino – Sameera and also between Bikram – Payal looks forced in the goings-on.

. The rivalry between Dutt and Manjrekar lacks solid ground. The duo are supposedly sworn enemies, but bury the hatchet at the behest of someone they respect [Mukesh Khanna – in a sp. app.], but soon after Manjrekar is shown plotting against Dutt for reasons best known to him. Surely, this angle in the story is far from convincing!

. The second half has an overdose of songs. In fact, practically all the songs in this half seem forced in the narrative. Besides, Dutt and the four kids forget all about their plans [of settling scores with Manjrekar] and start singing and dancing instead.

As far as technicalities go, Hriday Shetty knows his job well. The film is stylishly shot, but how one wishes Shetty would've kept a strong check on the screenplay. Dialogues [Milap Zaveri] are witty and well worded. Cinematography [Basha Lal] is up to the mark.

Anand Raaj Anand's music is a mixed bag. While 'Aanewala Pal', 'Aankhon Mein Suroor Hain' and 'Hota Hain Hota Hain' sound pleasant, the remaining tracks are strictly okay.

It would be wrong to compare Sanju's performance as Munna [MUNNABHAI M.B.B.S.] with that of Musa [PLAN]. If Munna had a comic streak to his personality, Musa has a non-nonsense approach. However, Sanju scores yet again in a role that seems tailor-made for him. However, his hair styling and get-up doesn't gel well with the character [of a crude don] he portrays.

Amongst the four kids, Sanjay Suri stands out with a natural performance. The next best is Dino Morea, who seems to be taking a step forward with every film. Bikram Saluja shows vast improvement over his previous works. Rohit Roy is competent as well.

The leading ladies are mere decorative pieces. Priyanka Chopra goes overboard this time around. Sameera Reddy gets no scope at all. Payal Rohatgi does a lot of skin show, while Riya Sen's presence in the story is akin to a puzzle.

Mahesh Manjrekar's role is an extension of his work in KAANTE, but this one is not a patch on his earlier work. Sanjay Mishra is alright.

On the whole, PLAN meets with the expectations partly. At the box-office, the film may open well, keeping its investors safe in the process [also thanks to its reasonable price]. At best, an average fare!