There is an old saying in the world of business, that it’s not always good to taste huge success in your very first deal, because that results in an un-necessary and phony confidence for the future. The saying fits best on Himesh who is otherwise an extremely gifted composer but who also incidentally tasted respectable box office success with his acting debut in “Aap Ka Suroor”. With the spirits gained from his first venture, he confidently went on to make a feeble “Karzzz” and now returns on screen with a more shaky “Radio”.
Not interesting from its very first sequence, Himesh’s Radio walks on a very thin and weak storyline which has nothing new or exciting to offer. A couple opts for a divorce and then later tries to get reunited with the help of another female friend. A typical Bollywood love triangle, seen uncountable times before. Really wasn’t expecting such a routine and tried before kind of plot from Himesh who was supposed to come with a unique kind of storyline written around the life of a Radio Jockey. Though the movie successfully captures the life lived by the current digital generation in its fast mode, but the project as a whole, fails to generate enough interest for its viewers. Putting it differently, “Radio” has got only one fresh and experimental element in itself and that’s its title.
The movie moves in & out of a radio station which remains interesting in the start but tends to go repetitive and annoying towards the end. The novel background of a radio station could have been used in a more entertaining way as earlier seen in “Lage Raho Munnabhai”. Director, Ishan Trivedi, innovatively divides the whole script into different chapters like a book, but forgets to put the much needed content in its chapters. Being a Himesh Reshamiya movie, the main strength of “Radio” remains its music, but again too many songs coming at the places where they are not needed at all starts irritating the viewer after a few initial entertaining moments. Moreover, I also found the soundtrack of “Radio” weaker than Himesh’s previous musicals. Only two songs “Mann Ka Radio” & “Jaaneman” are able to make an impression rising up to his own set standards in the past.
Frankly speaking, an artist always knows his inner strengths and the work he is best at. To prove yourself in a different creative field led by others is just an unwanted trip of the ego and nothing else. As I see it, Himesh, who has already proved his unmatchable musical talent to the world, is un-necessary trying to make a mark in the acting department of movie making. Although he has improved in his newly discovered talent, but actually the transformation is not required at all in the first place. Himesh is better than most of his contemporaries in the music field so he should stick to the work he is best at.
Shenaz Tresurywala is bubbly and smart, but she has been doing the same kind of roles in all her movies till date. Sonal Sehgal looks pretty and acts well but the girl desperately needs a stroke of luck since she has already acted in a few important movies but none have been released due to some unknown reasons. May be “Radio” fetches her all the attention she needs to get some healthier projects in her career. Surprisingly, Paresh Rawal looks foolish in his role of a funny radio jockey. His track has no relation with the other happenings on the screen and seems to be deliberately added to bring in some laughter. Shockingly, Zakir Hussain, who normally always impresses in his small cameos, looks like overacting in few sequences. Cinematography and background music is fine but it’s the script which is mainly responsible for the poor results on the screen.
Lastly I would like to add that if Himesh really wants to deliver a Hit once again in the future, then he has to try some unusual and experimental stuff in his project, which must have some shock value for the viewers. In a mediocre and uninteresting product like “Radio”, both his superb musical sense and the few well conceived songs have to face the negative response they don’t deserve. In short the movie is strictly as projected by its promotional campaign – childish, confusing and complicated.
Rating : 1 / 5
