I am no Arshad Warsi fan. I have seen only one of his films, Betaabi, and that was because it was aired on television a couple of times. I disliked him.
I did not expect anything from him in Shashanka Ghosh's Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II.
But Arshad is one of the best things about the film. The actor plays a common man trapped in unusual circumstances. Besides wonderful comic timing, he puts in a realistic and subtle act. Maybe too subtle during that emotional moment at the end of the film. Yet, a winning performance.
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WBHH treats the henchman like just another man on the street: a man with friends, a girlfriend and a sense of humour.
Prashant Narayanan earlier played a goon before in his debut film Chhal, directed by Hansal Mehta. His character in the previous film may be a tad similar (in Chhal too, he had befriended a stranger and always defended him from the big boss). Prashant does a brilliant job in this film too.
Shashanka shows the friendship between the two men well. At first unsure of this new acquaintance, Arshad later starts socialising with Prashant and his gang. He takes them to up-market restaurants, a change from their usual dens, and even takes his work to their hangouts. Later, he even influences Prashant in his killings.
The women have comparatively smaller roles in the film. Sandhya Mridul plays Arshad's cop girlfriend who lives in with him, while Suchitra Pillai plays Prashant's lady love. Both give decent performances.
The story is simple: Puneet (Arshad) is thrown out of his house by girlfriend (Sandhya) over a silly argument. While spending the night on a park bench, Puneet manages to save the life of henchman Vishnu (Prashant), who is shot. The two become friends.
This friendship doesn't go well with Vishnu's boss Bhau (Anant Jog). To make matters worse, rival ganglord Gangutai (Pratima Kazmi), whose only aim in life is to kill Bhau, tries to use Puneet to achieve her goal.
Can Puneet go back to his regular life or will he be caught on the other side of the law forever?
The one thing that seems out of place is Gangutai's arrest. Is it really that easy to arrest influential and feared dons by simply going to their houses, handcuffing them and dragging them to jail? Strangely, the most-wanted (by the police and rival gang) don in the city steps out of his house with no security.
The music by Vishal-Shekhar is excellent. Most of the songs, including Allah ke bande, are already on the charts.
If there is one thing I am still trying to figure out, it is the Part II angle of WBHH.
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