Total Siyapaa (2014) Reviews

• Total Siyapaa indeed

  SamraMuslim2014-03-07

  Loosely based on the Spanish rom-com 'Seres Queridos' ('Only Human') in which a Palestinian boy meets his Jewish girlfriend's family, Total Siyapaa explores the India-Pakistan cultural divide through the relationship of Aman (Ali Zafar) and Asha (Yami Gautam), set in London. Everything in their relationship is picture perfect, till Asha invites Aman to meet her family over dinner. Asha's family goes crazy when they come to know that Aman is a Pakistani. The chaos begins and Aman finds himself in nightmare, which just doesn't seem to be ending! The first half of the movie is a breezy comedy of errors, with some sharp dialogues and funny situations. But second half goes on an entirely different tangent that doesn't tie in with the first half. After a while, the screenplay seems super stretched, with too many pointless sub-plots. Even when the movie is less than two hours one wishes that at least 15 minutes more were edited. Also other than a few dialogues that evoke a hearty laugh rest just fail to make any impact. Performance wise, Kiron Kher steals the show, playing the loud Punjabi paranoid mother with perfect comic timing, barring a few scenes where she overacts Ali Zafar plays himself, a musician from Pakistan, offering nothing new in his poker face type of performance. He still has the natural charm and is likable as the confused, ill-fated Pakistani boyfriend stuck in a crazy situation. Yami Gautam's character, as the Indian Hindu love interest, was poorly written and she did not have much scope to perform. Also, there was no chemistry between Ali and Yami. On the other hand, watching the interactions between Zafar (the damaad) and Kher (the mother-in-law-to- be) together on screen were an absolute delight. Anupam Kher is completely wasted and it is sad to see an actor of his talent play a silly, cameo- ish role in Total Siyapaa. New-find Sara Khan comes across seductive. Other actors were plain and bland. Anupam Kher and his real life wife Kiron Kher play the on screen couple for the first time and their chemistry and pairing has not been properly exploited in the movie. Total Siyapaa has a very telefilm or theatric look and feel and director Eeshwar Nivas has made the entire flick in essentially three sets and the entire cast has donned one outfit throughout. Outcome of a low budget more then the script's demand, because the artists are also badly styled. Music is strictly average and not very memorable - although 'Palat meri jaan' is enjoyable and compliments the plot. Total Siyapaa is really a major chaos. Overall, the best moments from Total Siyapaa were already shown in the snappy promos and a very interesting concept is churned out as strictly average movie lacking charm, spark and humor.

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• Total Waste

  prasoon-1152014-03-09

  When I first caught the preview of this film "Total Siyappa", it seemed a fun and entertaining film, the concept was new, the songs were good and there was a good amount of humor and romance. But after spending or I should say wasting 1hour 45mins on this movie, I can't find a single reason to appreciate this movie, the script was idiotic, didn't expect that, since Neeraj Pandey was associated with this movie. The film has no story at all, some Scattered events sewed together, which were supposed to make sense, but they seldom do. The movie progresses very slowly and by the second Half it gets super boring and starts to fall apart. The acting was average, Ali Zafar tried but doesn't actually click, Yami Gautam was all smiles and nothing else, only Kiron Kher did something good in acting department rest were all were bland. In the second half Anupam Kher appears but I don't have a single clue What he was doing in the movie, it's rather annoying to see such a talented actor's potential not utilized. The movie also tried to tackle the India-Pakistan issue, but it all seemed pointless, at the conclusion, I would say it's a "total" waste of time and money.

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• Total Siyapaa is a light-hearted romantic comedy.

  binducherungath2014-03-19

  Ali Zafar as Aman, the male lead of the movie is cute as a Pakistani boy friend who is in London to meet his Punjabi girl friend Asha's (Yami Gautam) family to seek their permission for the marriage. When the movie begins, it does give a feeling that movie is going to be a laughter riot but somewhere it gets stretched. Siyapaa (Chaos) begins the moment Aman comes out of the airport. Siyapaa only increases as Aman reaches Asha's family and the family discovers that he is Pakistani. A series of events follow one after another. Kirron Kher as Asha's mother is loud, expressive and very vocal. Her anxiety as a mother is believable. Grandfather (Vishwa Badola) does give some funny shots when he keeps moving around the house. Anupam Kher as Asha's father is having an extended cameo role in the movie, I wish his role could have been redefined with more funny moments. An actor of such a great caliber and comic timings seemed underutilized. Asha's sister Jia (Sara) is good in her carefree attitude. The dance sequence by Jia and Aman on table-top is captivating and full of energy. The Anti-Pakistani brother of Asha (Anuj Pandit) is natural in his performance. Director E Niwas along with Neeraj Pandey (Story / Screenplay) have sensitively handled India Vs. Pakistan issue in a very light-hearted manner. A scene is to be mentioned where a coin is flipped to decide who will beat up an Englishman first – the Indians or Pakistanis, one doesn't get to see the coin; the coin is tossed and it is in the air and the very next moment Englishman is beaten up. Music by Ali Zafar is good. Palat Meri Jaan has been appreciated. Chal buleya, a sufi song is also very melodious. Total Siyapaa is fun to watch - with Ali Zafar amidst 'Total Chaos'.

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• Funny, but only in bits!

  namashi_12014-03-14

  'Total Siyapaa' is funny, but only in bits! It has some hilarious moments, but they are limited only till its first-hour. A weak second-hour plays a spoilsport. 'Total Siyapaa' Synopsis: Settled in London, Aman hopes to marry Asha, an Indian woman also based in London. He visits her parents' house to seek their permission to marry her. However, his plans to impress the family start failing when they discover that he is a Pakistani. 'Total Siyapaa' begins superbly & the first-hour has some genuinely hilarious moments. The Hindu-Pakistani conflict works hugely. However, things go down in its second-hour. The pace drops & even the humor is clearly missing in this hour. In short, a winning first-hour gets effected due a to weak second. Neeraj Pandey's Screenplay gets it right in the first-hour, but lacks merits in the second-hour. E. Nivas's Direction is fair. Cinematography, Editing & Art Design, are decent. Performance-Wise: Ali Zafar is likable. He enacts the caught-up protagonist nicely. Yami Gautam is charming. Kiron Kher is simply awesome. She emerges the real scene-stealer here! Sara Khan is credible. Anupam Kher is wasted. On the whole, 'Total Siyapaa' works, but only in till a point.

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• Disappointing!

  rahuljonathan-nair2014-05-25

  Despite the giddy pace, it soon becomes clear that there's not enough of a story here, merely a string of gags. The thin plot is stretched out until it collapses under the weight of its contrivances, squandering a good cast, particularly Kirron Kher as the shrill Mummyji. Such a shame that the film's central conflict evaporates conveniently and unconvincingly in a hurried, all-too-neat finale. Funny, but in a pedestrian sort of way. While the promos of the film prepare you for a laugh-riot, what unfurls on screen doesn't keep you in splits through and through. Initially, yes, the humor works, especially when Ali meets his prospective mother-in-law Kirron Kher, but thereafter, a few sporadic instances apart, several episodes fall flat. On the whole, TOTAL SIYAPAA appeals in bits and spurts. You expect a laugh-riot, but what comes across on screen is half-baked.

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