Bluffmaster, (2005)

I know, I know, it's been a while. But now I've gotten half the semester under my belt and hopefully it will be smooth sailing until finals.

With a few extra hours me and the flatmate sat down to study/watch Bluffmaster starring Abhishek Bachchan and FPMBF Riteish Deshmukh. I hate to admit that at first I only barely looked up; it seemed a run-of-the-mill "reformed bad guy loses girl" kind of story. Not that it lacked humor, convincing acting, good-looking gals and dolls, and glossy songs - I just wasn't drawn in.

That is, until Riteish Deshmukh appeared onscreen. Oh, Riteish. You light up my life.

Have you ever heard of little dog syndrome? That's the official term (well, my official term) for what makes little dogs think they're big dogs. You've seen Pomeranians growling at Rottweilers, right? Little dog syndrome. "Riteish D's" Dittu suffers from the same malady; he's a small-time conman who thinks he belongs in the big leagues. Somehow he latches onto Bachchan's Roy, the greatest player in the game, for training. Roy is dragged out of semi-retirement by Dittu, the chance to regain his lost ladylove (Priyanka Chopra), and an urgent need to live life to the fullest.

While chock full of some great zingers and one-liners, this film was not as funny as I thought it would be. The humor was balanced by some drama (both of the subtle and "melo" variety, c/o Dittu) and some romance as well. What made this film for my was its style - glossy, modern, over-the-top. The songs? Fun and dance-y. The acting? Nothing bad there. The ending? Guessed by flatmate, but still surprising. All in all, it was a fun enjoyable film. Funtimes were had by all.