Roadside Romeo (2008)

Synopsis: ROADSIDE ROMEO, actor Jugal Hansraj's directorial and screenwriting debut, is India's first attempt at a sophisticated, full-length animated feature. Although the characters are stray dogs in... ROADSIDE ROMEO, actor Jugal Hansraj's directorial and screenwriting debut, is India's first attempt at a sophisticated, full-length animated feature. Although the characters are stray dogs in Mumbai, this Yash Raj Films/Disney co-production offers cheerful family fare. The fact that an underworld don and a nightclub performer figure importantly in the plot simply means that the movie's heart belongs to Bollywood. Superstar Saif Ali Khan (DIL CHAHTA HAI) is the voice of Romeo, an abandoned dog from a wealthy home. Like the aristocratic hipsters Khan often plays, Romeo speaks slangy English and has an eye for the latest fashions. He quickly becomes the leader of a hapless gang and opens the dog version of a trendy hair salon, offering makeovers to other canines. But Romeo's success makes him a target of the local don, Charlie Anna, played with lip-smacking relish by Jaaved Jaaferi (SINGH IS KINNG) and drawn in lovingly disgusting detail with heavy black eyeglasses, a giant furry belly, and stained, rotting teeth. Complicating matters is Laila, the nightclub dancer adored by both Romeo and Charlie. Kareena Kapoor, another top star, lends Laila her voice, and the animators have also borrowed Kareena's enormous green eyes and sultry manner. It's no coincidence that the plucky hero, goofy gangster, and sexy dancer are all Bollywood archetypes; Hansraj aims, above all, to delight Bollywood fans. Posters of Amitabh Bachchan and the cast of DHOOM 2 line the salon's walls, a sidekick communicates entirely by imitating Bollywood actors like Shahrukh Khan and Sanjay Dutt, and references abound to producer Aditya Chopra's blockbuster DILWALE DULHANIA LE JAYENGE. In Romeo's world, where choreographed dogs groove to club mixes and romantic ballads, this all makes perfect sense. Bollywood films have fans the world over--why shouldn't Mumbai's dogs be among them? [More]

Starring: Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Jaaved Jaaferi, Kiku Sharda

Starring: Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Jaaved Jaaferi, Kiku Sharda, Vrajesh Hirjee, Suresh N Menon, Tannaz Irani

Director: Jugal Hansraj

Director: Jugal Hansraj
Screenwriter: Jugal Hansraj
Story: Jugal Hansraj
Producer: Aditya Chopra
Composer: Salim-Sulaiman
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures

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