All Is Well (2015) Review!!

Synopsis – This is a story where an entire family is on the run, being chased by goons. It’s a dysfunctional family and everyone has their own set of issues with each other – waiting to be confronted. The journey becomes a tool for them to confront each other and their issues. They fight with each other, they understand each other’s point of views, and they get to know things about each other that they never knew. Umesh Shukla’s “ALL IS WELL” is a journey of fun, realization, values and confusion where happiness does prevail. The film tackles a thorny issue with a social message similar to Shukla’s previous film OMG – Oh My God!

My Take – Its been a while since actor Abhishek Bachchan has given a solo successful to his name (Guru released in 2007 was his last), sure he has starred in a couple of multi starers successes such as Happy New Year, Dhoom:3, Bol Bachchan, Paa & Dostana, films whose success cannot be accredited to him as the lead (Ok maybe Dostana). Not that he is a bad actor, I am sure even his worst dictators will accept that he has been the solely watchable reason in some of the terrible films he has starred in. Being the son of the biggest star of the Bollywood industry is no easy task & despite his failures you do feel like rooting for him. As a result you can imagine how exciting the news was when he decided to team up with director Umesh Shukla, the man behind the very successful OMG – Oh My God (2012) & the very enjoyable & unfairly written off Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge (2009). Unfortunately after a several delays which get a film which is half baked with no clear identity of what the film wants to be. Honestly I actual really tried to like the film, I usually don’t mind melodrama especially when its done right. However this film doesn’t misses those strings & turns out to be a passable comedy with a few laughs here & there. The story follows Inder (Abishek Bachchan), an Indian born singer who is struggling to make it big in Bangkok (out of all the places in the world). An estranged son of a failed bakery owner Bhalla (Rishi Kapoor), its been ten years since he has left his house as he couldn’t stand his dad, who wanted him to join his business. He grew up watching his father fight with his mom Pammi (Supriya Pathak), and struggle to make ends meet. Inder therefore has a lot of hatred for him. Seeing his parents failed marriage Inder also does not believe in getting married, therefore leaving his girlfriend Nimmi (Asin) hopeless and forced too get marriage back in India to a guy of her parents choice. One day Inder gets a call from India to receive settlement of his ancestors land. But upon returning Inder realizes he has been conned by local goon Cheema (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub) to come back in order to pay his fathers debts by transferring the bakery off their names, which Bhalla refuses to do so.

He also finds out that his mother Pammi (Supriya Pathak) is suffering from Alzheimer’s and his parents are now divorced. After eluding from Cheema, the family goes on a road trip to his uncle’s place who possess Pammi’s jewellery to pay off the loans. During the chase, Inder’s finds the truth behind his parents’ divorce, mends his relations with his family and finally changes his view about marriage. Coming from the man who made OMG one of the best Bollywood films in recent times I excepted more from director Umesh Shukla. While the plot had weight in it, the film goes down a cliched, predictable story route to make its ends meet. The script is at sea from the very beginning. The discord between father Bhalla (Rishi Kapoor) and son Inder (Abhishek Bachchan) fails to convincingly establish who is the wrongdoer and who is the wronged one — it even fails to tell us whether neither is at fault or if both are! By the way, the title has no link to the plot in any way, and it just seems to be a catchphrase from a song in a past cult film! The relationship between Inder and Pammi (Asin) is even more confusing: for beyond a point, we fail to see what kink Inder has about marrying her (the reason somehow does not come across as completely convincing), and we cannot fathom what the girl sees in him when he asks like such a kinky nutcase. Finally, how and where they met and became so close is not established either, except in one of the many tuneless songs where visuals of overseas locales to the far East are shown. Then, there is the Alzheimer’s-ridden mother with a convoluted tale of marital discord and father-son friction. So who caused — if at all — her affliction? Was it her husband, her son or just her genes? Also, there is the villain (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub), who is either a buffoon or someone to be pitied and who actually turns sympathetic in the pre-climax. Inder renovates his father’s bakery in the end overnight, and his father is ignorant of the whole thing! His mother seems to have recovered at the end, while the villain is now the family buddy! Before that, we have comedy extracted forcibly from a death, a condolence meeting. Songs spring out like rabbits from a magician’s hat without any reason. A special quality they share is that most of them are filmed on Inder, but every voice is so far away from Bachchan’s tenor that when it comes out of his lips, we still never think that he is singing them within the story!

Frankly the songs are not bad, mostly a good listen but their timings are so bad, they end being a hindrance. It has some inspiring moments, that provide laughter. The first-hour is breezy & some of the comedic portions work nicely. Its the second-hour, that dips considerably. The humor wears out & the father-son conflict doesn’t engage after a point. Even the climax looks hurried. Performance wise, Abhishek Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor lead the pack and are good in there roles. Abhishek Bachchan does a fine job. He enacts his part sincerely. Rishi Kapoor is a riot in his loud role. He is (as always) excellent in the movie and clearly dominates everybody on screen. He is loud, funny and at the same time, an emotional father and a husband. This movie is worth a watch only if you appreciate Rishi Kapoor’s acting. The Wonderful Supriya Pathak is wasted in an insignificant role. We all know that, given an opportunity, she is excellent with her comic timing and also with serious roles. Her talent is completely wasted here as she has been left to very few dialogues and mostly looking blank. Asin does a good job even though she has the most half baked role among the cast. The star of the film is Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub. The talented actor plays the bumbling villain with terrific timing. Had the director used him, along with Supriya and Rishi for comedy, this movie would have been much better. On the whole, ‘All is Well’, is a confused & predictable film on hackneyed dysfunctional father-and-son relationship. Despite the presence of respected cast, the film falls flat on almost every level. Other than Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub‘s comic act, and couple of other comic sequences, there is nothing much to see in the film. I wish All was well.