Thirty-five years ago a tall youngman left his good job in Calcutta and came to the dream city of Bombay to become an actor. He got a good friend there in Anwar Ali who was brother of famous actor Mehmood. Incidentally, at the behest of Anwar Ali only this tall youngman got his first good action shot in ' Bombay to Goa' directed by S Ramanathan.The action sequence got him noticed in the film industry and also got him his first super hit film 'Zanjeer'. Yes, this tall person has been none other than Amitabh Bachchan. Thirty-five years later a little known producer Humayun Rangeela makes a film on the same journey. The film also casts two actors who were also part of the first film. They are Jr Mehmood and Manorama. Before these two actors only Amitabh Bachchan had acted in two films of the same title 'Deewar'.
Junior Mehmood and Manorama may not have been noticed like Amitabh, but it takes a lot to sustain oneself in the industry for 35 long years . Humayun Rangeela's 'Bombay to Goa' is also an assemble of some of the best comedians of the entertainment industry.
Though it relies heavily on new laughter champions, due share has been given to veterans as well. 'Journey Bombay to Goa' has been developed as a road movie, a genre not so popular in Hindi films. Earlier, Ram Gopal Varma tried to infuse some spirit in the genre with films like 'Daud' and 'Road', but his efforts went in vain.
Now, director Raju Pendurkar tries his hands on the same genre with a blend of comedy. The story starts with Sunil Pal playing the character of Lal whereas Vijay Raaz plays Das. Lal is today's shekhchilli ( day dreamer ) . Das is a driver and quits his job because he is not happy with the habits of his boss.
Fortune comes knocking at their door when Lal wins an amount of Rs 200,000 in a contest. They plan a travel agency and wish to make their own bus all by themselves. After all, they cannot buy a vehicle within this amount.
They go to Chor Bazar , assemble second hand parts and make a prototype of some kind of a vehicle that can move on the road but is unable to offer luxury of a tourist coach. They go on a trip to Goa with a variety of passengers; each of them is unique.
A fellow passenger tells them the whereabouts of a hidden treasure. With Raju Shrivastava, Sunil Pal, Vijay Raaz and Sanjay Mishra, one can expect a huge laugh riot on the screen, but it's not easy to hold on the attention of viewers for three hours.
Difference between small screen and big screen is very huge. For a film, there has to be a gripping story in it. 'Journey Bombay To Goa' has some good punch lines and few very good incidents but that don't make much impact on the story. Viewers may remember these parts of the film but not the whole film when they leave the theater.
So, the problem surfaces within first 15 minutes ; it exposes the plot and then remains stagnant for the rest of the time. Raju Pendurkar as a director has the mettle to make a good comedy but actors like Aasif Sheikh, Tinnu Anand and Asrani , throw the spanner in the wheels.
These actors have been typed in their roles over the years and even if they try to break the mould, it might cast doom on their career. Raju also tries to take help from the likes of Sudhir Pandey and Mac Mohan, and both of them do their best as well. However, the overall impact is missing in the film.
A better film was expected from Raju because films made on funny situations are no more orders of the day. Even directors like Priyadarshan and producers like Sajid Nadiadwala have started looking for freshness in the plots.
A director like Mani Shankar may have been trying to make a good comedy film on a strong story line, but the result at the end of the day has not been encouraging. Comedy is a serious act and sooner these filmmakers learn this better would it be for them.
'Journey Bombay To Goa' could have been a hilarious movie if Raju had got some help from his team. First to falter among them is, of course, the screenplay writer. The duration of the film is too long and it could have been trimmed at the editing table to fit in two-hour format.
Pace and timing are vital for every comedy and Raju Pendurkar fails here miserably. Besides, there is no good music and it relies on the mouth of word publicity. Hence, the response post-Sunday might not be very encouraging.
The film looks like an amateur attempt by a bundle of comedians who are out to prove themselves but lack team spirit. On the whole, 'Journey Bombay to Goa' is an average film that will appeal to a limited audience and has not much scope to be a general entertainer.
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