Not my monkey, not my Cirkus

They say money can’t buy you happiness. However, if it can buy me movie tickets and OTT subscriptions, who’s to say it can’t buy me some joy? Not that it requires me to spell it but I absolutely love watching movies and shows. This is why being able to blend my love for writing and cinema brings me immense joy...and a little bit of money as well! I review movies but instead of looking at myself as a movie critic who gets invited to film screenings every Thursday, I consider myself to be a social worker—one who does good for the world by helping people save the most precious thing they own, that is, their time (and money!)

In this due process, there happen to be several movies that make you appreciate the art of filmmaking. And at the same time, there are films so bad that make you question your life choices. Of course, not everyone will love and hate the same movies, but if I can warn you about what to expect, my work here is done. 

Cirkus, the last Hindi film to release this year, is a forgettable film—or that’s the hope because you wouldn’t want to remember the atrocity that it was, on your senses! The plot lacks originality and seems like the 1982 Gulzar-directed film Angoor and Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige made a baby, which lacked any of the good genes! 

So there are two masters (Ranveer Singh as Roy x 2) and two sidekicks (Varun Sharma as Joy x 2), but boy oh boy, this double delight turns into a double disaster in no time. One of the Roys is Current Man (reminds us of Hugh Jackman’s character in The Prestige). It’s like a subtle indicator of the movie feeling like a shock treatment. And then you go on to feel shocked by how bad the jokes are until it all takes a toll on your mind. 

Also, this is something I must address today through this review. What is it with the partners of twins and duplicates in Bollywood films getting easily fooled? Is the foundation of your marriage so weak that you’re absolutely blind to who the person in front of you is? I have so many questions. One of them being—why am I seeking logic in a Rohit Shetty film? 

Right from the word go, you know exactly how Cirkus is going to end. The four will eventually realise that they have an identical twin resulting in the climax scene where all misunderstandings are resolved. That said, the movie has two, and only two reasons to make you smile—Sanjay Mishra and Johnny Lever. These two veterans carry the film on their shoulders and bring their A-game to the big screen. 

For those wanting to watch a circus, Rambo Circus will probably make more sense and be a better use of your time and money.