Well Done Abba! (2009)

A mild mannered chauffeur finds that the government in his parched village is giving loans to dig one's own well. After fudged photographs and bribes, he has no loan amount left to build his well. Aggrieved, he protests by abjuring water.

Director:

Shyam Benegal

Writers:

Jayant Kripalani (screenplay), Sanjeev (based on a short story by)

Stars:

Boman Irani, Minissha Lamba, Sammir Dattani

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Boman Irani	...	Armaan Ali / Rehman Ali
Minissha Lamba	...	Muskan Ali
Sammir Dattani	...	Arif Ali
Ila Arun	...	Salma Ali
Ravi Kishan	...	Vikas Jha - Sub engineer
Sonali Kulkarni	...	Malti - Jha's wife
Rajit Kapoor	...	Srikant Reddy - Police inspector (as Rajit Kapur)
Ravi Jhankal	...	Rustam - Police constable
Yashpal Sharma	...	Ramiyya - Police constable
Rajendra Gupta	...	Irrigation Minister - Mantri Garu
Rahul Singh	...	Rohan Kapoor
Salim Ghouse	...	Janardhan Reddy
Satish Sharma	...	Raghav Reddy - Photographer
Lalit Tiwari	...	Meherban Ali - Arif's father
Anaitha Nair	...	Sakina

Storyline

This is the story of Armaan Ali, a driver working for a senior executive in Mumbai. He takes a month's leave to find a husband for his teenage daughter, who lives near Hyderabad. When he is delayed and returns to work after three months, his employer threatens to sack him. But he is persuaded to listen to the reason for Armaan Ali's delay. The story he relates is delightful, hilarious -- and poignant.

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Plot Keywords:

film with ambiguous title | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie won the 2009 National Film Award for Best Film on Social Issues. It is the remake of the 2007 Marathi film, Jau Tithe Khau. It was based on three short stories: Narsaiyyan Ki Bavdi by Jeelani Bano, Phulwa Ka Pul by Sanjeev and Still Waters by Jayant Kripalani.

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Soundtracks

Oh Meri Banno Hoshiyar
Lyrics by Ila Arun
Composed by Shantanu Moitra
Performed by Ila Arun and Daniel B. George
Courtesy of Super Cassettes Industries Limited (T-Series)

User Reviews

Pitfalls of adopting new cinematic sensibilities

Shyam Benegal's "Welcome to Sajjanpur" was a perfect balance of his art cinema sensibilities with make suit for contemporary times. His new outing "Well Done Abba" treads the similar path. The most positive aspect of "Well Done Abba" is the screenplay which is very genuine to its heart. The scene construction is extremely authentic. The characters make you wonder if they are indeed real. And the sole credit goes to none other than Shyam Benegal.

In terms of performance Rajat Kapoor, Ravi Kishen, Ila Arun, Salim Ghouse and the conniving Boman Irani (Rehmaan Ali) hog the limelight. Special mention is reserved for Rajendra Gupta whose accent, mannerism was genuine to the core (note the plastic smile he wears). And yes Minisha Lamba is a revelation indeed. Samir Dattani was OK (there was something lacking in his performance). Finally Boman Irani in the role of Armaan Ali - he was a complete miscast (Note: Its an opinion, and I am entitled to one). Blame it on the stereo-typing of the roles Boman has done so far or it could be halo effect. It was quite evident that he was putting up appearances. Om Puri was ideal for the role in question. Sonali Kulkarni - what was she thinking when she signed the dotted line?

A select few characters speaking in Deccani lingo was OK, but everyone? Not at all a good idea. The songs were not in sync with the plot and appeared copy-paste. Incorporating the the wedding song "Okkati Rendu Moodu" made me feel sorry for Shyam Benegal. The entire narrative in the flashback was not warranted. And the last 30-minutes should have been trimmed.

PS: Way back in the glorious days of Doordarshan, I have seen the non- glamorised version of this story in "Ek Kahani".

Details

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Release Date:

26 March 2010 (India)

Also Known As:

Abba Ka Kuan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Reliance Big Pictures, Shyam Benegal Sahayadri Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

144 min

Color:

Color