Poster Boys review: A madcap desi entertainer

Poster Boys is the Hindi remake of Sameer Patil’s Marathi movie Poshter Boyz (2014). So, it would be but natural to compare the two versions. Poster Boys doesn’t climb as high as the Marathi version, but to be honest, it won’t be entirely fair to judge it by this yardstick, as the Hindi version almost falls in a different genre. If seen independently, Shreyas Talpade’s directorial debut, has enough laughs and entertainment if you enjoy desi madcap comedies.

Poster Boys takes place in a small north Indian town. The lives of retired army man Jagavar Chaudhary (Sunny Deol), recovery agent Arjun (Talpade) and school teacher Vinay Sharma (Bobby Deol) turn topsy turvy after their images are splashed on government posters, without their consent, encouraging vasectomy.

The social stigma attached to vasectomy makes them a laughing stock. The repercussions are hard and painful — Chaudhary’s sister’s engagement is called off, Sharma’s wife leaves him and Arjun’s marriage to his girlfriend is cancelled. The trio join hands to find the truth and regain their lost honour. 

The film has the same basic plot as that of Poshter Boyz. But there is a vast difference in two of the three protagonists in the films. In the original, the eldest poster boy was played by veteran actor Dilip Prabhavalkar. In the Hindi version, he is replaced by Sunny. He, obviously, doesn’t play an old senior citizen and lives up to his 'angry-macho man' image. The school teacher, which was played by Hrishikesh Joshi in Marathi, is more of a nerd here. 

But the biggest difference lies in the type of humour in this film. While Poshter Boyz was more of a controlled comedy, Poster Boys falls in the genre of loud desi entertainer. 

Poster Boys doesn’t start off on a promising note. The initial part, especially the portions featuring Talpade and Bobby’s characters, is laced with forceful humour. It was also not a good idea to delay the truth about the poster to the three characters. 

Also read: Sunny Deol on Poster Boys: Dancing gives me a fever, I am scared of it

Thankfully, though, once the story is set, the films gets onto a hilarious entertainment route and remains there for almost the entire duration. As the trio set off to bail themselves out of the controversy, you are presented with non-stop laughter and giggles. The best part is the reference of Sunny’s old dialogues and movies. 

The narrative is replete with comical snippets that keep you entertained. For example, Bobby’s ‘Soldier Soldier’ ringtone and the idea of making him and his family wear similar night dresses while sleeping is quite funny. Even if a few antics appear over-the-top, there is certainly no boredom here whatsoever. 

The climax makes for a minor weakling, cliched at its best and peppered with unnecessary preachiness.

The songs also play some part in adding entertainment value. ‘Kudiyan Shehar Diyan,’ which is the remake of an old song from Sunny’s own Arjun Pandit (1999), is the best of the lot. However, the presence of an item girl wearing costumes as good as a bikini in a village fair, where families flock together, does not quite fit the bill. ‘The Poster Boys Anthem’ suits the situation in the end. 

Coming to the performances, the chemistry between Sunny, Bobby and Talpade is quite a treat. Sunny perfectly fits the character of a retired soldier and carries the screaming and the action part well, as expected. Comedy has not been his forte and the awkwardness is visible on a few occasions in this film too. But, by and large, he succeeds in being funny.

Bobby’s act gets better as the film progresses. He seems to be trying too hard in the beginning, but gets onto the right path soon enough. The only notable comedy film he has done before is David Dhawan’s Chor Machaye Shor (2002), which was a dud all the way. So, we can say this is his funniest act till date.

Also read: Bobby Deol: People used to ask why I am not doing films, I had no answer

Talpade brings in the right energy and funny antics needed for his character.

Samiksha Bhatnagar is fully believable as Bobby’s hot headed wife. 

Sonali Kulkarni didn't have much to perform and we wonder why a fine actress like her was needed to play this character.

Tripti Dimri, as Talpade’s girlfriend, is average. Ashwini Khalsekar provides a hilarious act while Sachin Khedekar is impactful in a cameo. 

Overall, Poster Boys positively outshines its negatives and makes for a fun ride.