There are few names in the Bollywood, which have become part of its glorious history even though not much has been added to their filmography. There have been one film wonders, both among heroes and the heroines. But the list of directors who made every one sit and watch their first work with a different approach has been negligible. Starting from K. Aasif (who made classic 'Mughal-E-Azam' in nearly one and a half decade) to totally modern Ram Gopal Verma, the list is not very exhaustive. They have been termed trendsetters in Bollywood, and Nagesh Kukunoor is among them.
It was Nagesh's debut film 'Hyderabad Blues' that rocked on the scene like a twister and shook the time-tested film making process of Bollywood. Made with a handy cam and taking friends as actors, this film created a history and also set the trend of Hinglish films in India. That was about six years ago. In between, he also tried in commercial cinema with 'Teen Deewarein'. Before that he made 'Rockford' with Nandita Das on infatuation. Every well-wisher of good cinema looks towards Nagesh. Whenever his film is round the corner, the people have high expectations from him. But, with 'Hyderabad Blues 2: Rearranged Marriage', his magic seems to have started fading. There were not many present during his pre-release party in Delhi, and even lesser crowd attended the first show of his movie. In fact, there were hardly many buyers for his latest film; so it has been released in select theatres and for lesser shows.
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To make a sequel has never been the fashion in Bollywood. And the sequel rocked at the box office like its predecessor. The last example of a sequel doing good business was 'Nigahein' that was a sequel to 'Nagina' (both by Harmesh Malhotra and Sridevi doing the lead role in both the films). 'Hyderabad Blues 2: Rearranged Marriage' comes at a time when people have tasted better films than 'Hyderabad Blues'. They are more exposed to world cinema than before. And, more importantly viewers of today are no-nonsense takers.
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On the other hand, 'Hyderabad Blues 2: …' tries to bridge the gap with the time that has already passed. In this sequel, Nagesh starts from where he left in the first film. Varun (Nagesh himself) and Ashwini (Jyoti Dogra) have been married for six years. Like any other married couple they enjoy life and avail great opportunities. But, none of them is happy. Varun keeps on thinking about the gain, if any, from marriage. He remembers those past happy days when life was a fun. Varun and Ashwini seem to be heading towards different poles. Enter their friends --Seema (E. Hiptoola) and her husband Sanjeev (Vikram Inamdar). Ashwini wants her husband back anyhow and tries to learn few tricks from here and there. On the other hand, Varun finds new sensation in his new employee--- Menaka (Tisca Chopra). Menaka works as a catalyst in both the directions. Her seduction rejuvenates otherwise bored Varun but it also deteriorates the already sour relations between Varun and Ashwini. Things worsen and both of them decide to head for divorce. All advices and suggestions seem to go waste and their friends find it very hard to stop these people from breaking their marriage.
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'Hyderabad Blues 2: Rearranged Marriage' starts on same lines as did its prequel. Nagesh tries to bring a lot of humor and rawness in its progression. Characters make a lot of mockery and people sitting in the hall do enjoy it. The take- off is okay but as soon as the film attains a height, it starts facing a bad weather. The narration gives jerks, and the viewers feel bad. All the expectations of another light film like 'Hyderabad Blues' get belied. What is left is just another family drama on the lines of so many films made with Jeetendra-Rekha or Mausmi Chatterjee. The diverse plot point comes as a surprise for Nagesh's die-hard fans and disappointment looms large once the humor part of the story is gone.
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As is happening with most of the films these days, 'Hyderabad Blues 2: Rearranged Marriage' too falls short on the script level. The characterization too leaves lot to be done. Though Nagesh has developed his character very well and there was ample scope for him to come out as a winner, but as a director he has failed this time. Ashwini's character does a somersault in the film and is very difficult to be digested. Vikram Inamdar's role too needed some solid ground for his behavior. Tisca brings in freshness, but her role could not be developed properly. On one hand, she is shown as core professional while at the same time her intentions are not very sageous. To make her a witch character needed some reason but Nagesh fails to incorporate this logic in the film. Technically, the film is better than its prequel but even then editing part has not been crisp. The dialogues are without punch, and the over- all impact of 'Hyderabad Blues 2: Rearranged Marriage' does not impress even its niche audience. The fate of the film now rests only in multiplexes and there too it will be very hard for it to garner applause and money. Has Nagesh exhausted his talent? Does he need a break now? Maybe, Yes!
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