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Lost and frowned

A still from Hogi Pyar Ki Jeet Click for bigger pic!

Hogi Pyar Ki Jeet is made by P Vasu, a first-timer on the Bollywood circuit but who has been making films down South.

Maybe he was playing safe, maybe he likes old Hindi movies, but some scenes in this flick sure take the cake.

Let's dispense with the formality of putting you in the loop of the basic structure of the story. The bad guy Mohan Joshi, playing Thakur Gajendra of Chandanpur, loves to grab all the land he can. His younger sib (Prithvi) meanwhile loves the sister (Ketaki Dave) of a 'poor farmer' (Anil Dhawan). Naturally this is unacceptable to the Thakur, who murders Dhawan and his wife after humiliating them. One of Dhawan's kid runs away with the goons hot on his trail, while Ketaki escapes with the other one.

A still from Hogi Pyar Ki Jeet Click for bigger pic!

Yes, this is the lost brother scenario all over again, and Ajay Devgun and Arshad Warsi are the two lost brothers who meet, yes, you guessed it right! after the interval. Devgun is brought up in some village by Tiku Talsania, a cowherd, while Arshad grows up in the city waking up every morning dreaming of participating in an orgy. Serious!

Neha, the Thakur's daughter, meanwhile falls in love with Devgun in the village, while the city-slick Mayuri Kango and Warsi are busy playing games with each other. Finally after a whole lot of 'fun and games' the plot unravels.

Don't hold your breath, you've seen it all before. A dying Dhawan had made Ketaki promise him that to avenge his dishonour she will marry both his sons to the villainous Gajendra's two daughters.

No prizes for guessing that Neha and Mayuri are the two lasses mentioned above. After that you have various escapes, some funny, most not, in which the two heroes infiltrate the house of Gajendra and mess up his life and wellbeing.

A still from Hogi Pyar Ki Jeet Click for bigger pic!

The characters of both the girls have nothing called meat to them, and are shown as two brainless bimbettes who make enough of a show of bare legs, midriff and cleavage.

The men have some scenes which enable them to act or ham out some comic scenes, but otherwise even they seem untouched by what the film has to offer.

Ajay Devgun has been pegged as the selling point of the film, and you hope that the actor doesn't have any more such films coming up. They are a waste of time, both his and ours. Warsi is fun in turn and gives an engaging performance, playing straight to the crowds just like he did in his previous films.

Neha, who makes her first appearance after Kareeb, may have a great figure but on-screen her curves don't show much, especially since she is made to wear hot pants and short dresses through the film. Mayuri needs to lose some weight fast. Both these talented actresses, who showed what they can do in their debut films, are totally wasted here.

Stage actress Ketaki Dave is miscast as the avenging proxy mother. Like all filmi mothers, she has a head full of black hair except two streaks of white, and keeps talking about 'khoon ka badla' and 'kasam's.

A still from Hogi Pyar Ki Jeet Click for bigger pic!

For comic relief you have Rajesh Puri playing a priest who is electrocuted so that his voice is gone - he knows our heroes identity, you see, so now his voice comes out in a whistle. The two sons of the corrupt politician (Raza Murad), as if there are any other, are dressed like cartoons with supposedly funny wigs.

Talking of cliches, the scene in which the brothers reunite is a killer. They meet each other in an old run-down temple, on a stormy night while the bells are ringing, with the idol's image thrown in for good measure.

The music of the film by Anand-Milind is just about okay, with no track that you can hum on the way out. Technically the film just about passes muster. As far as entertainment value goes, well, you've seen dozens of such movies and this one is by far a way-below down plot.

Maybe, if your memory too was struck by the Chernobyl virus on April 26 and you lost all your recollection of old Hindi films, you'll certainly be charmed by the gags in this one.

Otherwise, stay away. What did you think of Hogi Pyar Ki Jeet? Post your own review!