Raja and Rana, the greatest conmen in the history of Indian cinema, are back with a bang. The remake of the early 70s superhit starring Ashok Kumar and Pran, their roles being played by veterans Anupam Kher and Om Puri this time around, Victoria No. 203 is a stylised remake that is extremely entertaining.
The original diamond robbery comedy thriller was a huge hit in the early seventies, and this slick caper film is well based on the original, though updated and contemporary. The film is produced by Kamal Sadanah, the son of Brij Sadanah who had made the original hit, and is directed by Ananth Narayan Mahadevan. Combining comedy and thrills deftly, the makers have ensured that the audience gets great all-round entertainment, with the backdrop being a blend of classic old Mumbai with its Victorian feel and the modern mall culture of today, making it a total new age Victoria No 203.
The movie takes off with a display of the 100 crore diamonds. Bobby Bombata (Jaaved Jaaferi), a nefarious industrialist and Devyani (Preeti Jhangiani), his mole, are smitten by the diamonds. Bombata is willing to acquire them at any price but when his offer to buy the diamonds is turned down, he hires the services of a cat burglar, Tora (Tora Khasgir), in order to steal the diamonds. Tora performs a daredevil heist and escapes with the diamonds. But she has an agenda of her own and plans to double-cross Bombata. Just as she is about to make good her escape she runs into the infamous Ranjit (Kamal Sadanah), who stabs her. Wounded and on the run, she falls next to Victoria No. 203 in which she hides the diamonds. Raman, the Victoria owner, offers to take her to the hospital and in the process gets caught by the police who suspect him of attempted murder. Raman's daughter Sara (Soniya Mehra) is forced at this stage to ride the Victoria in order to earn money for her father's trial, unaware that she is riding around Mumbai with 100 crore worth diamonds in her Victoria! Or is she?
Enter Jimmy (Jimmy Shergill), an expert on diamonds, who takes a ride in the Victoria and falls instantly in love with Sara, bringing romance to the proceedings. But Jimmy is more than just an expert on diamonds, as the two key players in the film, Raja (Anupam Kher) & Rana (Om Puri), small time crooks out to make a fast buck, find out. Just out of jail, they come across a key that promises to reverse their ill fortune.
The key leads Raja and Rana to the Victoria and the ride begins, culminating in all the characters meeting in a hilarious climax, staged at Mehboob studios in Bombay for a film directed by none other than Ananth Mahadevan himself.
This remake has the same songs that were chart toppers like Do Bechare and Thoda Sa Thehro from the original, this time redone by Viju Shah, which are quite catchy. But it has one song too many, and the film can certainly do without Deedini, a romantic duet between Jimmy and Soniya which slows the proceedings in the second half.
Interestingly, the film marks the debut of Vinod Mehra's daughter, Soniya Mehra, in the role originally played by Saira Banu. She is very good in the film. But it's the two veteran stars, Anupam Kher and Om Puri, who steal the show. And Johnny Lever who comes in after the interval turns in one of his finest performances as a bhangaar dealer who has everything in his store, from the Victoria to a Rolls Royce and an airplane! Jaaved as the over-the-top villain is also in true form, completing the ensemble cast.
Hop on for a colourful ride of fun and excitement.
