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The beginning song of the film is a testament to what is wrong with children’s films today. Repeating the film’s title in its lyrics, the song has singer Shaan surrounded by under-clad foreigner dancers. The suggestive song-dance is imitated by an identically dressed set of kids. You want to switch off already…

Two sisters Geetu (Sarika) and Tushi (Lillette Dubey, again!) have even weirder sounding kids –Minnie, Rani, Tuk-Tuk and of course, Hari, always followed by the puttar endearment. When Tushi ascends onto Geetu’s home for the vacation with her several kids, Hari is perturbed at having to give up his room. We are to understand his predicament in a never-ending scene about him wanting to relieve himself but not finding a bathroom free.

For the rest of the story, you may remind yourself of the Home Alone series. The bandwagon is to set off early next morning to meet Hari’s father named Amul (this film wins hands down for kooky character names) who’s in another town on an assignment. In the rush that follows a missed alarm warning, the family packs into their almost-missed train, and is off on the journey. Mid-way, the mothers realise that Hari and Tuk-Tuk are missing. Back in the house, the kids are happy to find the home empty at first. An animated interlude happens somewhere with the hero’s imagined friend appearing out of an advertised biscuit brand product.

Then the boy does the usual things as you let out a yawn –he stings his face with aftershave, orders the girl, now wearing a saree like a wife, to put out his breakfast and scares away robbers with Sholay’s dialogues. The two thugs are the expected Laurel-Hardy (Saurabh Shukla-Vijay Raaz) duo, who bumble and stumble their way into the seemingly empty home. The background score goes `bhai bhai’ and the unfunny thieves with the fat one continuously farting and swearing (beeped out) are constantly outsmarted by Hanuman-bhakt Hari. The girl meanwhile clutches a teddy waiting for her breathing pump and even gets kidnapped by the baddies, waiting for Hari to rescue her in true Hindi film style. The main villain Mirchi, wearing coloured lenses, perplexingly speaks like Lion of the old Hindi films.

Then follows the Tom and Jerry-like chase where the bad guys slip, fall, get hit and are filled with marks on their faces at the end of it. Of course, Hari Puttar triumphs in the end and all is good.

The only brownie point this film earns is owing to its talented cast. Zain Khan and Swini Khara, despite their cheesy dialogues, are endearing. Sarika is a delight and is looking resplendent. Saurabh Shukla and Vijay Raaz are wasted. Lillette Dubey does her usual over-the-top bit. Jackie Shroff, drinking though the film, appears and disappears in a daze. How you wish the talented central cast was given an original, witty tale to work their magic on. Producer-director Lucky Kohli seems to have taken the film’s sub-title: ‘a comedy of terrors’ far too precisely, as there’s more fright than fun in the film.

Honestly, you wonder and wonder, why the makers thought it clever to copy a film that’s already a favourite with kids here and is often shown on local movie channels. Home Alone was hugely successful and did a supreme job of telling its simplistic story. Why then, attempt fleecing a film that’ already won the gold medal, unless you can either do it better or improvise on the story? Forget the premise, even the spider from the original makes a special appearance.

Adding to your distress having watched Hari Puttar is an “item song” at the end by Shamita Shetty and a bevy of other under-dressed ladies. The Puttar is suddenly a grownup teen, who’s thrilled at this sudden surprise. (The film’s release was delayed for a long time. Still, the makers thought it best to introduce a steamy song, even if the child actor’s age is immediately incongruous with his age in the film.)

Honestly, the genre of films for little people is stuck between boring mythologicals and blatant copies. The last superb, original film revolving around a child was the recently released Tahaan, directed by Santosh Sivan. I wouldn’t recommend taking your kid to this one. The film doesn’t have its heart in the right place; in fact, it doesn’t have a heart.

source:sify.com