Tere bin Laden: Dead or alive (U/A)

Director: Abhishek Sharma

Cast: Manish Paul, Pradhuman Singh, Sikander Kher

Running time: 110 minutes

How many times have we seen a batsman in full flow lose his wicket to a silly shot? That 22 yards analogy fits Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive like a glove. The sequel to the 2010 surprise hit Tere Bin Laden — that tickled our funnybone consistently and successfully enough to laugh its way to the bank — brings on the guffaws and giggles only sporadically, with the laughter dying down well before the end credits roll.

The biggest strength of the first film was the nonchalant way in which it cracked its jokes, not mining for laughs deliberately, but managing to earn them. The second film, however, tries a little too much and often falls flat on its face. Some jokes are repeated, some gags feel familiar and the film, as a whole, seems dragged down by the weight of trying too hard to be ha-ha.

The premise, in itself though, is quite meta: the prequel, starring Ali Zafar in the lead, becomes a film within the sequel, with TV funnyman Manish Paul being cast as its director called Sharma (both the Bin Laden films have been directed by Abhishek Sharma). But even while the film is being planned, Osama bin Laden is gunned down at Abbottabad… and Sharma and his Osama doppelganger Paddi (Pradhuman Singh) are rendered jobless overnight.

But they realise soon enough that there are still many takers for the terror king — US President Obama is spending sleepless nights worrying that he won’t get a second term if he doesn’t furnish videographic evidence of Osama’s death while terror groups in Afghanistan need to keep Osama ‘alive’ to inspire their demoralised young jihadis. But with Osama dead, the only way they can do so is by getting their hands on Paddi… and that’s where the cat-and-mouse game begins. Mistaken identities, silly twists and one too many stupid subplots later, Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive — overblown by many a deadwood gag — limps towards a predictable end.

But that’s not to say that the film isn’t funny at all. We found ourselves rolling with laughter when the trainee jihadis, more goofy than scary, in the dusty plains of Afghanistan are made to undergo a boot camp, creatively called ‘Olympia-e-Dehshat’, seeking to show off their skills in tournaments called ‘Bomb Relay’, ‘Landmine Jump’ and ‘Grenade Throw’. How does the CIA, all the way away in Langley, keep an eye on them? Through a technology called ‘Game of Drones’. Yes, nicely done. 

Director Abhishek Sharma, whose Akshay Kumar-starrer The Shaukeens also had its moments, picks his Obama lookalike well… Iman Crosson, who has made quite a name for himself in films and on social media as an Obama impersonator, gets it uncannily right — from the perfect intonation and body language to his standard ‘Yes we can!’ Pradhuman Singh, who was the life of the first film, shines here too, but there’s only that much he can do as a village bumpkin forced to ape the world’s most dreaded terrorist.

And while Manish Paul may be the consummate comedian, it’s Sikander Kher — surprisingly — who delivers the standout act. Anupam and Kirron Kher’s son — who till now has appeared in two-bit serious roles — shows immense comic potential in his double turn — as a smooth-talking CIA man who metamorphoses into a loudmouth and pot-bellied Punjabi film producer.

But these are rare crests in a trough called Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive... a film more dead than alive (yes, we couldn’t resist that one). Watch it if you must… but the joke will be on you.

Priyanka Roy