David Dhawan let a classic down

Low-brow humour is what Dhawan is most comfortable with

In the same batch as offbeat cinema stalwarts, including Om Puri, Saeed Mirza and Kundan Shah at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) was a young man who was drawn to the work of mainstream director Manmohan Desai. A gold medalist in editing at the school, he began his career as a film editor and has gone on to direct 41 mass-oriented comedy flicks. Recently, however, the director remade a cult classic belonging to an anthology of quaint, middle-class cinema that his FTII peers had endorsed.

Chashme Baddoor, David (Rajinder) Dhawan's latest, opened last week to mostly unflattering reviews. It was slammed for forcing the charming theme of Sai Paranjpye's Chashme Buddoor (1981), a memorable part of the Doordarshan era, into garish contemporary garb. PLA Productions sold the remake rights of the original to Viacom18 Motion Pictures two years ago to raise funds and digitally restore the old print. Viacom then picked Dhawan to direct it. Having collected more than Rs 25 crore in the first four days, Chashme Baddoor could be called the 52-year-old director's comeback film.

Dhawan had a string of commercial hits in the '90s and early 2000s such as Govinda-starrers Aankhen, Coolie No. 1 and Hero No. 1. He became a champion of mindless entertainers, though some say the success of those films can be attributed more to Govinda's natural flair for comedy than the director's genius. Critic Mayank Shekhar found Shola aur Shabnam and Haseena Maan Jayegi truly funny but says the filmmaker's work "unfortunately turned formulaic." In recent years, other directors like Rohit Shetty and Sajid Khan have mastered the brand of humour of which Dhawan was once the sole proprietor. Since 2007, his films, including Rascals and Do Knot Disturb have fared poorly. "Those films suffered largely because he hasn't upgraded himself," notes Shekhar. His last big success was Partner with the combined prowess of Salman Khan and Govinda.

Inspired by the crop of young 'realistic' filmmakers, Dhawan recently expressed a wish to make more meaningful cinema. He has enlisted the help of his sons (director Rohit and actor Varun) to understand what works with young viewers. But people familiar with his style agree that low-brow humour is what he is comfortable with. "Given the ease with which he makes comedy films, I'm not sure if he will enjoy other genres as much," says Taapsee Pannu who is part of the Chashme Baddoor cast.

Described as innocent, affable, young-at-heart, and 'teddy bear,' Dhawan is known to get excited while directing - sometimes to the extent that he steps in front of the camera, spoiling the shot. "I don't judge a scene from the video monitor. I like to see my actors perform," he said in an interview. His child-like enthusiasm does not mean he isn't in control. The director holds on to a bound script on the set but hands a scene to the actors only on the day it is to be filmed. "He did not want anything to sound like it was written," says Pannu.

Deepti Naval and Farooque Sheikh, the lead pair of Paranjpye's film, are yet to watch the new one but haven't dismissed it. "(Dhawan) has his own comic, fun and games way and I knew if he made the film, it would be something in his own genre," says Naval. Sheikh, too, credits Dhawan for creating comedy that works at the box-office but notes later, "Chashme Buddoor was special because the entire family could watch it without anyone feeling uncomfortable. Sadly, far too many directors now resort to humour that is related to the body or which uses language that is not parliamentary."

Dhawan's Chashme Baddoor is pure slapstick, literally featuring slaps and, at one point, a stick. Clever moments are largely absent but the film elicits laughs from sections of the audience that have been trained to leave their brains at home. Fans of the classic will come out of the theatre with a strong urge to revisit the '80s hit, if only to forget the new one. "Since the film is out, there has been huge curiosity about the original," observes Naval.

In a goofy way, Dhawan has made people appreciate Paranjpye's film even more.