Hawaa Hawaai Review

What is it all about?

A wi wiwi wiwi wiwi.. it's so wannabe.. a perfect case of tout more robust than its clout.. Amole Gupte's next after Stanley Ka Dabba (overeaten by frogs in the well type critics and left over by the audience) comes a squirmingly squishy, so predictable, unconvincing, forced sentima (read cinema) that tries so hard to fly but fails to even take off resulting in an ultimately unclassifiable piece of work that neither entertains nor enlightens.

The Story

Amole Gupte has a cracking premise of an adolescent bread earner of the family Arjun Harishchandra Waghmare (Partho Gupte) developing a passion towards skating while serving tea to Aniket Bhargava (Saqib Saleem) who conducts skating classes for the kids on the Bandra-Kurla road at night.

Arjun skating dreams gets wheels of support from his friends who are also child labors - Gochi (Ashfaque Bismillah Khan) a mechanic in a garage, Bhura (Salman Chhote Khan) - sells gajara at traffic signals, Rafique (Mahesh Kumar) - an embroider and Abdul (Maaman Memon) - rag picker.

Forming a gang of hope this bunch of five create a skate for Arjun who can now take his first step towards his dream.. just when the preparations for the dream has to take off Amole Gupte's script suddenly goes to sleep walking in its own dreams leaving the rest of the film to anyhow reach the finishing line relying on cliched predictably with glaring flaws hoping that the fine performance of the cast and that too from the supporting cast to redeem its fortune.

What to look out for

Amole Gupte succeeds in showcasing the camaraderie between Arjun and his gang. This bunch of five deserves a hi five. Gochi (Ashfaque Bismillah Khan), Bhura (Salman Chhote Khan), Rafique (Mahesh Kumar), and Abdul (Maaman Memon) all  deserve special praise. Outstanding. The moment between Arjun and them is the only highlight. Technically sound. Partho Gupte is strictly okay.

What not?

Obviously the producers Fox Star Studios are behind the project but certainly not behind the camera nor the script.

Otherwise a potential dynamite on paper could not have being  reduced to just couple of fizzles leaving the entire film struggling to fit into a particular genre changing gears from escapism to realism without any success.

Even the cliched melodrama during the movies pinnacle moments is seriously glared with such flaws like during the State level championships just at the stroke of the race the organizers ask for Arjun's birth certificate.. this is too much.

More so.. the writer director fails to develop any bonding between Arjun and his coach Aniket Bhargava. The emotional connect between them is missing. Further Amole ads on unnecessary subplots for no rhyme and reason. The Aniket Bhargava's brother `s angle. Romance between Aniket and Pragya both are half baked.

Saqib Saleem is a promising talent but he is done by a shaky script. Amole Gupte and Hitesh Soni's music is just routine.

Conclusion: Instead of a sentimental cinema with a positive message, Amole Gupte's `Hawaa Hawaai' is a squirmingly squishy, so predictable, unconvincing, forced sentima (read cinema) that lacks the stamina to please the major or concerned audience.

Rating **