Second Hand Husband

Slapstick comedies can be a risky affair for any filmmaker. Sneak in marriage, love and family into the picture and the challenge just amplifies further. Second Hand Husband treads on a fine line between funny romance and offensive humour. Most of the time it stays on the right side. But the few times it strays it really does disservice to its star Dharmendra as well as the efforts of the rest of the cast. A loud, over-the-top comedy about loony relationships and far fetched situations can be tolerated with a pinch of salt. But with Second Hand Husband the pinches turn into handfuls, all too often.

The story is as senseless as the name of the film. Gippy Grewal plays Rajbir, who is the average punjabi boy albeit not the most bright one. He's in love with his lawyer Gurpreet (Tina Ahuja). But before he can tie the knot with his sweetheart, he must settle alimony matters with his ex-wife Neha (Geeta Basra). The brilliant idea is to play matchmaker and find his ex-wife a new husband so that Rajbir can stop paying the hefty alimony. Better still, he decides to hitch Neha with his own boss Dharmendra, who's a much married and wealthy man. Of course, none of it pans out according to Rajbir's wishes and that's where all the confusion leads to all the comedy.

Director Smeep Kang had his work cut out trying to make semblance out of that contrived plot. As expected things get out of hand too soon. The biggest problem arises with the idea of Dharamji getting misty and mushy with Geeta Basra. The ever green star still has loads of on-screen charisma but the situations used to depict his romantic flair turn out to be a little too awkward. The humour just doesn't work. Gippy's foolhardiness on debut works to an extent. But then over a period of an hour and half it does get a bit monotonous. The peppy and strong punjabi music though is a welcome addition.

The film has more than able supporting cast. Between Vijay Raaz, Ravi Kissen and Alok Nath, the character actors do a decent job. They hold fort for the leads out of which, not surprisingly, Dharamji does the best. Pity that his character doesn't allow him to be better than the settings. Tina Ahuja, who makes her debut, doesn't have a lengthy role. She looks pretty and in the limited screen time, displays enough talent to be future name in the movies. Papa Govinda would be proud.

There are a few surprise appearances in Second Hand Husband. They add to the experience of the film. But again, most of it seems like a fancy commercial movie gimmick. It actually does nothing for the story. But it does give fan boys a chance to root for the film. If you are a fan of punjabi movies, music and actors Second Hand Husband has the right trappings. Otherwise it's all a bit too pointless.