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Albela
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'Albela'

By N K Deoshi
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

Govinda sheds his image of a slapstick comedian to don a new avatar of a romantic hero in Albela. Jackie Shroff plays second fiddle to Chi Chi while Namrata Shirodkar does the same to Aishwarya Rai.

Tony is a happy-go-lucky tourist guide living in a small town of Malaga in Goa. One day a soothsayer predicts that the lady of his dreams would come crossing seven seas and would change his life forever. Tony is lost in daydreaming.

While

waiting at the airport for his client’s one day, Tony walks into Sonia (Ash) who has come from Australia to find her mother’s grave in India. Tony is convinced Sonia is the woman of his dreams. Love the first sight! He becomes her guide.

Sonia is a self-assured girl from a rich family. Her outgoing attitude matches Tony’s vivacity and soon they become best of friends. Tony falls head-over-heels in love with her. He even forgets his forgets his childhood friend Neena. Neena loves Tony, but she never expressed her love to him. Sonia adores Tony too, but is unaware of Tony’s feelings for her.

Sonia visits Tony’s home. A small poem written on the wall leads her to Tony’s friend Prem, a journalist. Love at first sight, again!

Who, Tony or Prem, will sacrifice his feelings? And there is Neena too.

Too many red herrings in the canvas of Albela. Sonia is on a serious mission to India. But she’s having a fun time singing and dancing in beaches and shopping malls.

Director wants us believe Tony and Prem are from poor backgrounds. But their lifestyle is lavish. At the drop of a hat they tee off to Alps and other exotic locales!

Govinda tries to be different from his usual slapstick self, but with little success. When he mouths romantic or philosophical lines, he looks, pathetically, out of the place. Ash as usual looks gorgeous and steals the show. Jackie and Namrata gel well with their characters.

In a nutshell Albela is a film that will appeal to youngsters who like complex love stories. Some tear-jerking scenes appear deliberate on the director’s part.

Jatin-Lalit’s music is quite impressive.

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