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Director duo Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK's first movie, 99 (2009), was a pleasant surprise and a refreshing take on the betting syndicate in cricket. Their next, Shor In The City (2011), was an edgy portrayal of Mumbai and was critically acclaimed. Both movies were anything but run-of-the-mill commercial cinema. With its latest offering, Go, Goa, Gone, the duo has chartered into unknown waters yet again. GGG is touted as the first "zom-com", a zombie comedy, in Hindi cinema. And the directors must at least be applauded for making a zombie film.
GGG is the story of three young men looking for a fun escapade in Goa, far from their mediocre and boring lives in Mumbai. The three guys - Hardik (Kunal Khemu), Luv (Vir Das) and Bunny (Anand Tiwari) - attend a rave party and the morning after is anything but what they had imagined. Things go completely out of hand after the party, and the next two hours are mad, at times monotonous but overall a wacky ride.
At the party they meet Boris, or rather Ba-Ris, as he prefers to be called, who "keels dead people." Saif Ali Khan, also the producer of the film, as the Russian mafioso does a commendable job and even though the accent gets a bit repetitive, he plays his part well. Khan doesn't have a lengthy role but makes his presence felt.
If you are looking for gore, violence and scary ghosts, you will come back disappointed. Sure, there's blood spilling but nothing that will make you squirm in your seat. This is a cleverly written film and every time you think that the pace is slowing down, the narrative picks up. The dialogues are witty and the smart one-liners are sure to go down well with the young, urban crowd.
One of GGG's core strengths is the soundtrack by Sachin-Jigar, which goes with the narrative pretty well. The soundtrack had to be one which captured the essence of the film, and songs like "Khoon Choos Le" and "Babaji Ki Booty" are used perfectly in the film. Even the background score melds in perfectly with the film.
Khemu, who is perhaps the quintessential ensemble cast hero, does his part surprisingly well. Seen in films like the Golmaal series, Dhol and other comic capers, he has some of the best lines in the film. No surprise as he is one of the dialogue writers, and incidentally is dating Khan's sister Soha Ali. Just like in Abhinay Deo's Delhi Belly, Das is understated in his performance but extremely convincing. Tiwari, who is seen in the Tata Tea "Jaago Re" ad campaign, has good moments. One can expect to see him in ensemble comic capers.
The zombies? Well, they hardly manage to scare you. But it's not meant to be a scary film in spite of its zombie theme. The latter half of the film does get a bit slow, though never boring. You feel that the film is labouring to the end. GGG is a film with Hollywood sensibilities and meant for the urban multiplex audience. It's low on the "zom" factor and decent on the "com" factor. Overall it's a fun - and to use a Bollywood cliche - different film. It's a credit to the directors for attempting a film in a new genre of Hindi cinema and pull it off convincingly. GGG is a movie which could have gone horribly wrong but a good soundtrack, a tightly-knit screenplay and clever lines ensure that it more or less stays on track and manages to amuse you. It's a film which knows its audience and delivers what they're looking for.
