Written by: Aiza Azam
Posted on: July 17, 2015 |
A comedy of errors interspersed liberally with song and dance routines, the film nonetheless falls a little short of satisfying. The comedy seems forced as the humor mostly consists of jokes that are stale, bordering on crass or just not funny. The editing needs work, especially in the initial half hour of the film as the viewer struggles to find coherence in the flow of the narrative. There are some irritants and loopholes. What is initially pushed as Sallu’s passionate dream to make it big in movies becomes quickly dismissed when he gets an opportunity to impersonate Shehryar and live in riches. The song and dance sequence ‘Meri Selfiyaan’, comes in celebration after one of the family children has been circumcised, so the two cant be linked with a long stretch. Laila’s clothes, hair and makeup, while beautifully done, are unrealistic in view of her social status and background. Most amusing is the blatant use of product and service placement, specifically a certain cell phone brand, and a certain bus service that runs in Lahore (having recently debuted in Islamabad itself).
However, it does have its redeeming features, essentially the acting. With one or two exceptions, the cast has delivered with natural acting and this effectively prevents you from categorizing Wrong No. as a lost cause. Javed Sheikh is convincing as an overbearing, uncompromising father and father-in-law. Danish Taimoor is equally successful in his portrayal of the goofy, selfish and irresponsible Sallu, as well as the cultured and gallant Shehryar. Sohai Abro is very, very good. She remains true to character from beginning to end; is energetic and fun to watch in the dance numbers, and endears even the reluctant viewer who might be tempted to dismiss her as annoying. Together, these three bring substance.
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