Trailer Review - Banjo

Barely a week after the trailer release of Baar Baar Dekho (2016), Eros International is back with the trailer of its upcoming musical flick, Banjo. Best known for his debut with Natarang (2009), the movie is co-written and directed by national award-winning Marathi director Ravi Jadhav. Banjo stars Riteish Deshmukh and Nargis Fakhri in the leads and a supporting cast comprising of popular dancer-actor Dharmesh Yelande, and Aditya Kumar, last seen in Gangs Of Wasseypur (2012).

The story is based on the profession of banjo players, and how they receive little to no respect as opposed to other musical artistes. Banjo revolves around agroup of four young Maharashtrian boys striving to make a name for themselves and raise awareness for this instrument. Randomly, a DJ from a foreign land, played by Fakhri, notices their talent and decides to become their manager, and try to make them a commercial boy band. The trailer touches every aspect of their strenuous journey and the powerful comeback they make after they face several rejections.

Deshmukh and Jadhav have previously come together for the Marathi sex comedy-drama Balak-Palak (2013) which went down well with the audiences. Unfortunately, Jadhav's direction here is disappointing. In fact, the very foundation of the film, constructed and written by Kapil Sawant, Nikhil Mehrotra, and Jadhav himself, is shaky, and rather formulaic. The movie, which is supposed to revolve around music, presents no exceptional melody in the trailer. We're hoping that at least the music by the talented duo Vishal-Shekhar manages to grab our attention in the film. The three-minute trailer seemed so long and sloppy, it almost appeared as if we'd finished watching the entire movie, something we at BollyCurry are not too happy with.

Barring the plot similarities with Rock On! (2008) and Rockstar (2011), Deshmukh in the lead role is pleasant to watch. A mix of determination and comedy, his act as the band leader Taraat is commendable, especially after the mindless Housefull 3 (2016). However, one does end up wishing that Deshmukh plays the role of a Punjabi or Bihari lad in his next outing. With acting chops like those what we've seen in Ek Villain (2014) and now in Banjo, we sincerely hope that Deshmukh stops appearing in mindless comic capers and sex comedies, and does more performance oriented roles. Yelande plays the funny side-kick every hero needs, and does a fair job at it. Last but definitely not the least, we have Fakhri essaying the role of Christina. She definitely ads the much-required sensuality, but she's consistently essayed such roles since her debut movie. C'mon Nargis, we're still waiting to watch a glimpse of your acting skills!

Writer: Anushka J.

Editors: Ritchelle C. and Gunia K.

Graphics: Ayesha S.