The point that ‘Rosapoo’ is trying to get at, remains elusive throughout. The dull stretches are hardly smoothed out, and while trying to achieve too much, it settles for much less. Wrapped up in a glitter cover all around, ‘Rosapoo’ is a dreary box that springs up zero surprises on you when finally tugged open; a gauche comedy gawks at you from beneath the stylish production design.
Shanu (Biju Menon) has tried his hand at an assortment of business ventures already, and has gained little except burnt palms. A literally falling to pieces scooter that sounds like a rail engine that is running off tracks and which threatens to go up in flames any moment, is all that he has been left with. This does not however dissuade him from getting all perked up about one spurious business idea after the other, churned out by the dozen by dear friend and self-proclaimed MBA graduate Bhanu (Basil Joseph).
All inspired by a spectacular thought that guarantees to rake in a huge profit, Shanu decides to produce a soft porn film, and ropes in Ambrose (Neeraj Madhav) to don the director’s mantle. Together they set off for Chennai, where production executive Sajir (Soubin Shahir) promises to get them buxom belle Laila’s dates. When the reigning queen Laila shows Sajir & Co the door, the man leads Shanu and Ambrose to another actress, Reshmi (Anjali) who finally agrees to play the lead in their film ’Rosapoo’.
Vinu Joseph’s ‘Rosapoo’ is a film that liberally draws on the several films that have already made it the screens, with the film industry as its backdrop. He leads us on with this intention to Hotel Amaravathy in Chennai, where people reportedly eat, drink and sleep films. But at the core of it all, ‘Rosapoo’ is more a film about a man who is on the lookout for making some quick money and less about cinema, the people behind it or their aspirations.
Read somewhere that it’s a film that is all about mirth, and these men go for it with a vengeance. So Shanu hands over a pain relief can to a man who comes to his decrepit duty free shop looking for a delay spray, Karim Bhai (Sudheer Karamana) gapes and puts in some stash into the project hoping to lay his hands on a bit more than the expected profit and an entire film set is appalled by the pot belly of a woman actor who has been cast as a celestial nymph in the film. Laughter, anyone?
What is accidentally comic though, is the romantic line that the script draws across the two odd posts – Amborse and Reshmi – that simply refuses to transmit any power. Ambrose falls for the heroine caught in the doldrums of life, who slams the door on men who keep knocking at nights. Reshmi reciprocates his feelings, but covers it all up under a mask of indifference, shedding tears when she knows he isn’t looking. Double Phew.
There is a message that sounds incredibly hollow that finally emerges as the film draws to a close, that is hardly taken seriously, given the way the film has taken its shape. An embarrassingly loud lecture as to how actresses continue to be taken for granted sounds way out of place in a film, that doesn’t unfortunately, seem all too empathetic.
Biju Menon and Neeraj Madhav are at their usual best, while Soubin comes up with a hilariously lively act. A giggly Anjali could be a test on irked nerves and Sudheer Karamana is seen in an inflated avatar that is all over the place. Vijayaraghavan is impressive in a role that deserved some more screen time, while Alencier reveals that even the most dependable actors could go awry under irresolute eyes.
The point that ‘Rosapoo’ is trying to get at, remains elusive throughout. The dull stretches are hardly smoothed out, and while trying to achieve too much, it settles for much less. Wrapped up in a glitter cover all around, ‘Rosapoo’ is a dreary box that springs up zero surprises on you when finally tugged open; a gauche comedy gawks at you from beneath the stylish production design.
Verdict: Bumbling Comedy