Rohit Shetty’s Cirkus is no ‘Angoor’ with its sour comedy, Sanjay Mishra saves the show!

Ranveer Singh: Rohit Shetty’s big year-end release Cirkus, had the audience excited for the longest time. The typical big commercial, leave-your-brains-behind, high on entertainment, commercial masala films with a huge ensemble cast is just what we needed to end 2022 on a high note. The Ranveer-Rohit combination means energy on a whole new level. But does the film deliver?

Comedy or Errors and Angoor

Ranveer Singh and Varun play two sets of identical twins. The film is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Comedy of Errors’ and Gulzar’s ‘Angoor’.  But Rohit Shetty’s cinema is not probably what a film of the likes of Angoor needs.

The plot

The film begins  with Roy (Murali Sarma) in the midst of trying to convince a gathering of intellectuals at Bangalore University where he is advocating for adoption and questioning bloodline. Since he is questioned by a person from the gathering about bloodlines. For this purpose he switches two twin babies at the orphanage he runs with Joy (played by  Uday Tikekar), with the promise to reveal the truth to the babies after 30 years. This is what forms the basis of the crazy twists and turns of this attempted comedy drama film.

Now the four babies separated from their respective identical twins are all grown up. Ranveer Singh runs a Circus in Ooty and is known as the ‘Electric Man’, for the electrifying acts he performs with actual live wires. He is unaware that his twin brother also played by Ranveer feels these electric shocks while he is sitting in Bangalore. The character of the two heroes played by Ranveer Singh has been very well done by the actor and the two characters come out very distinctly etched out. The two fake brothers of these two heroes played by Varun Sharma lead to many confusing situations for the characters though the comedy from these situations doesn’t quite come out as one would expect from a Rohit Shetty comedy caper.

The characters are leading a healthy and happy life after having grown up in wealthy families which they were adopted into. Two Roys (Ranveer Singh) and Two Joys (Varun Sharma), are separated by distance. But when the Bangalore brothers come to Ooty all hilarious hell breaks loose. Just that it isn’t all that hilarious. This sort of situational comedy could have been a real blessing but it doesn’t quite give us the electric shock of comedy one was looking for.

The plot moves forward with the two different Roys and Joys finding themselves in different places and causing confusion alongwith their better halves. The comedy from the confused characters doesn’t keep one hooked as it progresses at a pace which is a bit too slow. One tends to lose interest in the first half itself.

Acting

Coming to the performances all the actors have done a good job. Ranveer’s portrayal of both the brothers is distinct especially as this is his first double-role film. He is naturally electrifying in his demeanour and character of the electric man as well as the twin who feels the jitters as a shock.

This is Varun Sharma’s big film alongside a big star. This could have been a moment for him to be the ‘Circuit’ of sidekicks in Bollywood.He does justice to whatever was given to him though this unfortunately will not be his ‘Circuit’ to his ‘Munna Bhai’ film. He does a good job with his portrayal of both the ‘Joys’ he plays and even brings out the distinct dialects for both.

The female interests played by Jacqueline Fernandes and Pooja Hegde in the film are mostly there for cosmetic value. They play the typical Hindi film heroine with charming presence.

The Show Stopper!

The man who steals the show and many hearts with his coming timing and performance is the lovable, Sanjay Mishra. The film quite literally rests on his shoulders and the second half is made delightful only because of his presence. His dialogue delivery of absolutely nonsensical yet rhythmic dialogues, funny attire, demeanour all add weight to the otherwise lacklustre film.

The other members in the cast are far too many. The film is far too busy with too many characters popping out at odd times.Ashwini Kalsekar, Siddharth Jadhav, Mukesh Tiwari, Johnny Lever among others have done a good job with their performance but it seems like just about every supporting actor in the industry can be spotted in Cirkus.A cast with such great calibre could have been better utilised.

Surprises and Misses

The surprise cameo by ‘Deepika Padukone’ in the song ‘Current Laga Re’ is when the energy of the film picks up momentarily. The song is a fun upbeat number though the rest of the songs with music by

Devi Sri Prasad, Badshah,Lijo George-DJ are pretty regular fare.

Direction : Misdirected?

Cirkus is a retro style Hindi Masala entertainer set in ’60s though it just doesn’t have the electric spark of the old school comedy entertainer.There are moments of comedy here and there but overall we aren’t getting any ROFL moments.

The writing by  Farhad Samji, Sanchit Bedre, Vidhi Ghodgaonkar has been tighter especially since it’s a situational comedy with Bollywood’s favourite tried and tested formula of the double role. Yunus Sajawal’s screenplay doesn’t lure the audience and the first half needs patience on the part of the audience.

Rohit Shetty has probably spent more time on the film’s production and look and design than his vision of the film from the director’s lens.

Production

The film, mainly based in  beautiful Ooty, doesn’t use much of the outdoor location and is lost in sets and CGI generated scenes. The film is gaudy and over the top colourful. It tries to replicate the look of a retro comic book. Though that alone cannot sustain the film.

Also Read: Christmas Countdown: Feel Good Bollywood Films that Celebrate the Jingle Bells Festival

The Final Verdict

Cirkus will probably disappoint you if you go with the mindset of seeing a Rohit Shetty film. It’s not his regular fare or brand of cinema. But if you are looking to spend a few mindless hours, Cirkus is a one time watch with friends and family. Plus, even if you aren’t a Sanjay Mishra fan this will surely add you to his fanbase.