A wise person once said that the ability to laugh at oneself is a virtue like no other.
Okay, I might have made that up but don’t we all love jokes about ourselves? No? Well... At least, we love when Bollywood takes its own case, when it makes films that – instead of being self-congratulatory – are self-critical. A rare phenomenon indeed!
This year, however, the self-critical comet seems ready to enter Bollywood’s star-studded sky with Chakri Toleti directed Welcome to New York, starring Sonakshi Sinha, Diljit Dosanjh, Karan Johar, Boman Irani and Lara Dutta.
The trailer promises a joy ride down the Bollywood road, with many honest bumps. Missed the signs? Here’s a minute-by-minute decoding of the trailer.
Shabaash, Diljite!
First things first, the trailer opens with Diljit Dosanjh. A coincidence? I think not! Not that I am complaining.
After charming us as Sartaaj Singh in Udta Punjab (2016) — a role for which he won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut — and as Roop Lal Phillauri in Phillauri (2017), Dosanjh is back and we cannot help being excited!
What’s more, Dosanjh’s very first dialogue in the trailer is the iconic, “Kitney aadmi the?” Now that’s how you announce, “I have arrived in B-Town and I am here to stay!”
Diljit paaji, about time you stop making sexist rap songs and concentrate on your acting career.
Karan Johar Can Act!
Here’s a revelation: Karan Johar can act... but only when he is acting like *drumroll* himself. And that’s exactly what Welcome to New York seems to offer, packaged with Johar’s signature pout, eye-brow raise, and him caressing a life-size lion model while clicking a selfie.
“Hera pheri karte na, maaf kar deta main, par tumne Kuchh Kuchh Hota Hai dekhi!” says Karan, trying too hard to be not himself but a larger-than-life, masculine alter ego (a caricature of Bollywood’s bad-boys).
Par kya karen (but what can we do), his Karan-ess just refuses to leave him. So much so that Diljit’s character says, “Aapko pata nahin sir, Punjab main sab jagah ‘lassi lassi’ ki jagah ‘coffee coffee’ ho rakhi hai.” (Sir, you don’t know, instead of ‘lassi lassi’, it’s all about ‘coffee coffee’ in Punjab at the moment).
Just for Laughs
Each of the characters are caricatures of Bollywood’s stock types: Diljit is the ‘Gabru Hero’, while Sonakshi plays the ‘Dhinchak Designer’.
The trailer leaves no space for doubt when it comes to exploiting popular Bollywood gossip and controversies.
Karan is casted as ‘the Bollywood Villain’ and Riteish Deshmukh is seen challenging Johar, “Shah Rukh Khan ke sath toh koi bhi hit film bana lega, mere sath solo hit film bana ke dikhao toh tumhare direction ko maanu.” (Anyone can make a hit film with Shah Rukh Khan, your directorial ability will be proven only if you can make a solo hit film with me).
Then there is the setting, New York meri jaan. Karan Johar’s go-to location whose skyline is imprinted on the minds of Bollywood fans since eternity Kal Ho Na Ho (2003).
Talking of Johar’s go-to tropes, bet you didn’t catch that one suggestive scene between Karan and Riteish.
The cherry on top of the cake is perhaps the appearance of Karan’s twin — the Karan-Arjun Judwaa trope is done to death here — on the IIFA stage, where he is known to have made a number of ‘mis-worded mistakes’.
So, is Welcome to New York going to be the ‘event of the year’ as the makers want us to believe? Will it be that one Bollywood movie about B-Town’s shortcomings that we’ve been waiting for?
Tell us what you think in the comments section!
(We Indians have much to talk about these days. But what would you tell India if you had the chance? Pick up the phone and write or record your Letter To India. Don’t be silent, tell her how you feel. Mail us your letter at lettertoindia@thequint.com. We’ll make sure India gets your message)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)