LAHORE – Anees Bazmee’s Thank You is yet another Bollywood film that is set in the Diaspora while being oblivious to it. This regressive and arcane film plays out against the backdrop of Vancouver and Toronto, which are made to meld together interchangeably in a way that will irritate anyone who is familiar with either city.
Akshay Kumar plays Kishan, the resourceful go-to guy for women who fear their husbands are cheating on them. This brings him into the circle of three women (Sonam Kapoor, Celina Jaitley, and Rimi Sen), all of whom have justifiable suspicions about their men. The husbands (Bobby Deol, Sunil Shetty, and Irrfan Khan) are players who have turned whoring and deceit into a lifestyle choice.
Every time Kishan tries to expose their philandering ways, they manage to lie their way out of it. Each new deception is increasingly ridiculous, in direct proportion to the gullibility of their wives. Kishan-much like his deified namesake, and with a flute in tow-guides and cajoles both groups into confrontation and, potentially, resolution. There is also an inane subplot involving a mix-up with a mobster.
This leads to chase scenes that, annoyingly, begin on Yonge Street and end on Robson Street. The intended message of this film is unclear. It does remain consistent with the normative Bollywood theme that all marriages, regardless of their wretchedness, must be saved and protected. It also features male leads that dance through multiple club scenes with numerous non-Indian extras-some of whom still manage to spout Hindi lyrics when required.
The wives in the film are extolled for their capacity to forgive anything, and real love is expressed through attempted suicide or murderous rage. This film is billed as a romantic comedy. It is neither.
From Toronto to Vancouver – ‘Thank You’ can’t find its focus
