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Tere Bin Laden – movie review

A Million Dollar Fake

  


Tere Bin Laden, movie review

Tere Bin Laden is a tongue-in-cheek comedy about an ambitious young news reporter from Pakistan who is desperate to migrate to the US in pursuit of the American dream.

Ali (Ali Zafar) is the TV journalist with a “never say die” attitude. His repeated attempts to immigrate are shot down as his visa is always rejected. But when things couldn’t look worse he comes across an Osama Bin Laden look alike. Tere Bin Laden movie review…

The news reporter gathers stories together with Gul (Nikhil Ratnaparkhi) who is his friend, apartment mate and a cameraman. Gul has blind faith in Ali and is with him through the thick and thin of things. Most of the times, it is his foolish suggestions, that spark off the brilliant ideas in Ali.

Majeed (Piyush Mishra) is a small time TV news channel owner who takes himself and his cheap channel too seriously. This greedy and abusive boss likes to dictate terms and mentally exploits his employees to frustrating levels.

Ali works for Majeed’s channel and manages his way through most of his silly assignments, waiting for the big job as an ace reporter in the USA – a dream land of opportunities. During one of his assignments, he spots a chicken farmer who happens to be an Osama clone.

Ali then hatches a scheme to produce a fake Osama video and sell it to news channels as a breakthrough scoop! Unfortunately there are serious ramifications as the White House gets involved and dispatches an overzealous secret agent on Ali’s trail.

So Ali and his pal Gul make a fake video of Osama bin Laden, using the look-alike, Noora (Pradhuman Singh), the chicken farmer. Ali plans this as his big chance to make news, maybe even leading to his ticket to the US, but the plan back-fires and its then fun and comedy.

He involves an expert make-up artist Zoya (Sugandha Garg) to create almost a real Laden. Zoya has a double personality. When she is working in her shady office, she wears conventional suits and covers her head.

The moment she is in her personal space, she is an outgoing ‘bindaas’ girl. She is a perfectionist who dreams about opening her own chain of beauty salons one day.

Then there is Quereshi (Rahul Singh), a small time radio jockey who possesses the unique talent of mimicking people with absolute similarity.

Ted (Barry John) is an American intelligence. A war veteran, he is meticulous, fast, focused and manipulative. He has a typical American body language: arrogant, casual and full of gestures that defines a strong air of superiority complex around him.

Debutant director Abhishek Sharma comes up with an offbeat story which unfolds into a crazy film Tere Bin Laden with its madcap characters, making people laugh all throughout. Realistic scenes and locations of Pakistan are created in Hyderabad in India. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have produced a foot tapping music with some good numbers – ‘Ullu Da Patha’ and ‘I Love Amreeka’.

Ali Zafar has good looks and fine talent. Pradhuman Singh as Osama Bin Laden is terrific with good support from Nikhil Ratnaparkhi, Piyush Mishra and Sugandha Garg.

Tere Bin Laden is fresh entertainment. Though it isn’t glossy as other comedies and appears a bit amateurish, it is a fun-ride with a tidy script and fine performances.

Cast of Tere Bin Laden:
Ali Zafar – Ali Hassan
Pradhuman Singh – Noora / Osama Bin Laden
Sugandha Garg – Zoya
Piyush Mishra – Majeed
Nikhil Ratnaparkhi – Gul
Rahul Singh – Qureishi
Seema Bhargava – Shabbo
Barry John – Ted
Chirag Vohra – Lateef
Chinmay Mandlekar – Usmaan
Rajendra Sethi – Jamal Bhai (Travel agent)
Harry Josh – Security guard
Masood Akhtar – Rahim Yaar Khan

Credits & Crew of Tere Bin Laden:
Banner – Walkwater Media
Producers – Pooja Shetty Deora, Aarti Shetty
Director – Abhishek Sharma
Lyricist – Jaideep Sahni, Dhruv Dhalla, Jaspreet Singh
Music Director – Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy
Music – Abhijit Vaghani, Dhruv Dhalla, Ali Zafar
Background Music – Dhruv Dhalla
Cinematography – Santosh Thundiyil
Story Writer – Abhishek Sharma
Singers – Shankar Mahadevan, Ali Zafar, Jaspreet Singh, Suraj Jagan, Akruti Kakkar, Anusha Mani, Master Saleem
Tere Bin Laden, movie review