Hello has a clumsy start and totters its way through only to find its momentum, before the interval. The second half is better but the packing up of Bakshi which was cleverly shown in the book, leaves a lot to be desired.
The basic flaw in the movie is that the first hour of the Hello is wasted in establishing the characters, there is hardly any story being told. But the movie does find its groove after the first hour and goes steady, before dwindling again in the climax. Hello , seems to have low production values(the only time the movie looks really awe-inspiring is when the credits are displayed at the start).
Story of Hello: Shyam(Sharman Joshi) is the team leader whose career is stagnant and he is well on his way losing his girlfriend Priyanka(Gul Panag) who is working with him to an NRI. Radhika(Amrita Arora) has to take a lot of taunts from her mother-in-law and has to bear with the long distant relationship of her husband(Arbaaz Khan) whom she realizes later, has cheated on her. Esha (Isha Koppikar) has high hopes of being a model and even succumbs to casting couch for her goal). Vroom(Sohail Khan) loves Esha but is pained by the fact that the call center is going nowhere and Esha is eluding her. Military Uncle(Sharat Saxena) has his own story, he does email support while the rest take calls. He dotes on his grandchild, whom he has been barred by his family to communicate with.
Plus points of Hello: The cute special effect of the devil in Shyam’s mind is well shot. The conflict where every character meets with his/her own problems is presented well. Gul Panag and Sharman Joshi have good chemistry. The song picturizations especially of Karle Baby Dance Dance is well executed.
Minus points of Hello: The dismal screenplay and tacky first half are unbearable. The humor element which were well splashed in the book is missing in Hello. Some key points in the book like Have More Restaurant(which was cutely shown in the book) is missing. But yes, it is tough to scrap and include parts of the book to incorporate in a film. But better justice could have been done. Suresh Menon is pathetic and is an embarrassment to Hello, torture to viewers. Salman Khan looks haggard, drunk and disinterested. The eye bags and the double chin: yuck the stud never looks so pathetic.
Performances in Hello: Sohail Khan stands out in his portrayal of Vroom, you can’t imagine anyone else in his place. Sharman Joshi is apt and does a good job. Sadly, Salman Khan is boring and Dalip Tahil with his over the top hamming, makes you throw a cell phone at him. The girls are wonderful, look good and act well. The pick of the lot, is an understated performance by Amrita Arora. Gul Panag looks gorgeous and performs well. Esha Kopikkar is okay.
What one does not understand is why the ‘condom’ dialogue was edited in the love making scene of Hello between Sharman Joshi and Gul Panag. Overall, Hello is a onetime watch.
Ratings : 2/5
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