David Dhawan and Govinda can't quite decide whether to tickle your ribs or tug at the heartstrings in this desi takeoff on 'Liar Liar'.

The Plot

Raj Malhotra (Govinda) comes to the big city in search of fame and fortune. Pesky ideals be damned, no price is too high in his quest for success. An ever-increasing web of lies results in professional wins, like his becoming a hotshot lawyer, and personal trophies, such as beautiful wife Sonal (Sushmita Sen). But when he begins to involve himself with goondas, Sonal and his son walk out on him. The son then makes a wish upon a shooting star that Dad should never lie again, just when the big case for the bad guys is coming up, which results in the ensuing havoc.

The Review
In 'Liar Liar', Jim Carrey's character is a smarm-oozing lie machine who revels in his deceit and has not a single bone of authenticity in him. So when the son makes the wish, the results are hilarious not just because he finds himself in a mess of truth telling, but also for his getting his just desserts.

But here, Govinda's star status (or whatever other considerations go into making these 'creative' decisions) will not allow for him to be too negative. So you have him doing all these so-called bad things, but all in mild doses that leave you feeling not all that turned off by his character. As a result, 'Kyo Ki.. Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta' turns out less Bollywoodized than bowdlerized.

This amiable but toothless comedy is not helped by the fact that the main plot twist, that of Govinda being able to tell only the truth, kicks in only in the last half-hour. Before that, we are subjected to everything routinely cinematic under the sun.

The wooing of upper-class heiress (a very game and appealing Sushmita). Crossing paths with adversaries both minor (Sharad Kapoor in a thankless role) and major (Ashish Vidhyarthi in an even more thankless role). The whole jigri dost routine, courtesy Satish Kaushik. An 'Enemy of the State' inspired subplot that leaves Govinda with an incriminating videotape. And surprisingly serious courtroom scenes that threaten to become huge tearjerkers, with Govinda swearing to fight his 'sach ki jung' and what not.

Where's the zany stuff, you ask! The last thing you want in a Govinda flick, especially one inspired by an all-out lunatic predecessor, is all this drama. And the actor seems suffocated by having to serve all these story threads, when all he wants to do is cut loose. Also, Carrey was so blatantly phony that his extramarital affairs seemed a given. Here, when Govinda takes up with a gangster's moll (Rambha), it seems creepy because of the undercurrent of sentimentality in the film.

Still, a somewhat-subdued Govinda is better than no Govinda at all, in a movie of this kind. Whether prancing blithely with the taller (and much slimmer) Sushmita Sen or hamming around with Satish Kaushik, Govinda keeps the happenings veering toward the funnies, even when some not-so-funny drama looms around the corner.

It's fun to see Sushmita Sen get down and dirty in a film of this sort, as opposed to her usual oh-so-sophisticated roles. Though she can't quite bring off the ditz in Sonal, she vibes much better with her co-star than Aishwarya Rai did in 'Albela'. Why this comparison? Oh, no particular reason. The sagging sections of 'Kyo Kii..' left me ample time for such peculiarly intellectual ruminations.

Anupam Kher and Satish Kaushik also boost up the energy level to some extent. The former unleashes a variety of startled expressions when accosted by Govinda in the most unexpected ways. And the latter takes that most hackneyed of roles, the faithful hanger-on, and does some interesting things with it, even having a nice emotional scene towards the end.

Concurring with the average nature of the enterprise, you have Anand Raaj Anand's music. Come to think of it, this film could have really used a couple of wacky, 'Kisi disco mein jaayen' type numbers, crazy choreography and all. And while this is not usually the place to go looking for sterling production values, at least the cinematography (K.S. Prakash Rao) is bright and peppy.

But technical aspects are hardly what one expects from the David Dhawan-Govinda combination. There's a mood of nonsensical abandon that's missing here. As the comedy is rooted in the backdrop of domestic troubles and hysterical courtroom theatrics, you're left wondering if the funny stuff made the drama less intense or the dramatic scenes have undermined the comedy.

The Rating
This is an at-times pleasant comedy instead of the all-out guffaw-inducing farce you expect, with loads of unnecessary sentiment. While not really a total misfire, and about adequate time pass, 'Kyo Ki.. Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta' is the sort of film that leaves you in a limbo. You're not sure whether to be happy with the occasional titters or lament at an opportunity lost.

This review was written by Baradwaj Rangan. If you have any comments on this review, post a message on our message boards or write directly to Baradwaj Rangan at: editor@sitagita.com

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