Table No 21: Not a great start to the Year

Table No 21 is neither as intelligent and imaginative as Slumdog Millionaire nor as cheesy and tacky as Soham Shah’s Luck, two of the recent films that centered themselves on reality shows. But it does not sit comfortably midway either.

The plot starts as a couple struggling with their relationship get a chance to spend a vacation in Fiji. Soon learn it is a part of an elaborate plan with things getting dark and grimy when they find themselves being a part of a game that can give them 21 Crores of Rupees. Paresh Rawal is at the helm of the game, controlling it and manipulating the couple. A grim looking young man with stubble who doesn’t have any purpose except showing himself at convenient moments aids him.  There are many references to the number 21 and not all of them are great except the last one at the ending credits.

Make no mistake, Table No 21 is a film with noble intentions but for a thriller the writing is a bit too lazy and the plot takes its time to get going.  The twist at the end which is closely guarded through out with red herrings planted does not come across as disturbing as it is desperate to. The dialogues are no great shakes either with “If you lie, you die” being repeated every time they want Rawal to sound menacing. Rajeev Khandelwal tries his bit but finds it difficult to make us empathize with him. The writers don’t do him any favors either with a poorly etched role. Paresh Rawal is a veteran but here he just goes through his motions and is never quite the delight he ought to be. Tena Desae wears a bikini, shaves her head but her she can't act or kiss good.

There are a couple of songs at the beginning and the end, which hamper the narrative but are forgettable otherwise. Background score is conspicuous by its lack of impact. The film is shot at Fiji but it could as well have been Ramoji Film City and Goa since the locales of the place are never explored.

The best use of Table No 21 could be to serve as a warning for all of us not to fill all those forms that are thrown at us in various shopping malls promising exotic trips. Now that is a worthy lesson. So it’s not so bad after all is it?