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By Joginder Tuteja, December 29, 2008 - 15:31 IST
MOVIE DETAILS
Voice: Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Javed Jaffrey, Vrajesh Hirjee, Sanjay Mishra, Suresh Menon, Tanaz Irani
Director: Jugal Hansraj
Producer: Aditya Chopra
Music: Salim Sulaiman
Lyrics: Jaideep Sahni
THE FILM
If not for Yash Raj Films' practice of promoting their films to the minimal, Roadside Romeo could well have been the second Bollywood animation film to have worked with the audience after Hanuman. And that's because though there have been half a dozen animation films released after Hanuman, none of them have worked at the box office. While one or two have still been decent attempts at the least, the remaining have been plain shoddy that have just tried to be a part of the animation journey but hardly did enough to justify their status as a full fledged film.
In this aspect, YRF takes itself quite seriously, rightly so, when it announces it's entry into the animation market. It does everything right when it comes to the technical department. It ties up with Walt Disney that comes up with never seen before animation in Bollywood parlays. Also, it ropes in two superstars Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor. It even gets a good promotional kick off a year in advance by means of theatrical promos. However, something somewhere went truly amiss when the film was about to be released since it just didn't make much noise on its arrival.
Jugal Hansraj, the film's writer and director, seems to have made the film, keeping adults in mind. This is the reason why he spins a completely Bollywood-ish tale about two dogs (Romeo and Laila) who are in love with another (Charlie) being a villain of the piece. Add to this some sidekicks for both hero and the villain and you have a bhelpuri mix ready. Jugal's choice of voice for Romeo and Charlie is perfect too with Saif getting the cool dude act spot on with Javed being excellent as a South Indian gang lord. However, Kareena Kapoor disappoints as Laila since in an attempt to sound ultra seductive, she is just not audible enough at a few junctures. Also, she doesn't seem to be enjoying the experience of giving voiceovers like her colleagues. In fact another person who seems to be enjoying the most is Sanjay Mishra who gets behind the mike for Charlie's sidekick!
As a film, Roadside Romeo doesn't have any surprises in store due to its fairly simple and straight forward storyline. Also, Laila's character isn't quite well etched out with a limited screen presence hardly helping her cause much. However, one doesn't mind that considering some superior animation that keeps you glued to the proceedings on screen.
Things could have just gone right for Roadside Romeo had it been pitched amongst the audience in a better way. However, it appears that just when the film was finally ready for release, Roadside Romeo hit a roadblock from both promotion and marketing point of view. It was released sans any fanfare and worse, the two best parts about the film - its animation and coming together of Saif and Kareena behind the mike - were just not highlighted enough for the audience. No wonder, the film went truly unnoticed and failed at the box office. Quite a pity since it deserves a one time watch at the least.
PACKAGING
The DVD comes in a good looking DVD box with an attractive plastic packaging
DURATION
The film comes in a single DVD pack with the film's duration being 90 minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES
- The Making of the Film
- Director's Commentary
- Deleted Scenes
- The Animation Process - Start To Finish
- Bloopers
- Roadside Romeo - Music Launch
- Modeling - Rigging - Lighting
- Theatrical Trailer & Promos
For those looking at the nitty gritty of the making of Roadside Romeo and the entire animation process, the DVD brings with it 'Director's Commentary', 'Making of the Film', 'The Animation Process - Start To Finish' and 'Modeling - Rigging - Lighting'. Jugal Hansraj reveals that how his crew took actual pictures of Mumbai to understand and then use the ambience in the film. While at places he does talk about how he got a particular shot in the film in place, he also details the pain that the crew went through in getting the right design for the sets. Technical aspects about the animation process are also included in the DVD though it is for a very select segment of audience who would be interested in understanding this. What comes across as a little known fact is that two directors with Yash Raj Films, Siddharth Anand and Arjun Sablok, too had given voiceover for some 'extra' characters in the film!
Deleted Scenes are hardly exciting with most of the deleted stuff being 'shots' rather than an entire scene. The 'Music Launch' is boring though and one wonders, what was the purpose behind including it in the DVD. However, it is the 'Bloopers' section that is most entertaining. Something really unique since you don't expect animated characters indulging in bloopers!
TECHNICAL DETAILS
- 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation
- Subtitles in English and Malayalam
- Dolby Digital 5.1 and Stereo
PRICE
Rs. 299/=
CONCLUSION
Ok, so Roadside Romeo isn't quite emotionally charged or howl-ariously funny like its Hollywood counterparts. But still, it is watch able at the least. And for that, most of the credit should go to Tata Elexsi - VCL that has managed to get some stupendous 3D animation in place. Whether it is shot taking, moving frames, transition from one situation to another, lip movements or lighting - everything about Roadside Romeo comes across as a fresh experience. In fact for those who haven't been exposed to the Hollywood animation flicks, this is a truly unique experience.
 
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