Priyadarshan has to realise that remaking his movies that were hits down South, will not always do well in Bollywood. While Bhool Bhulaiyaa  did well, De Dhana Dhan was a dud. And from what we saw, Khatta Meetha looks like it is going the same way.

The movie, which has been produced by Akshay Kumar’s home productions, tells the tale of Sachin Tichkule (Kumar), a corrupt road contractor. His clothes and mannerisms remind you of his role in Hera Pheri, but the jokes in this movie are mundane and stale.

Tichkule lives in a joint family, which comprises of his honest judge father and mother (Khulbushan Kharbhanda and Aroona Irani who are completely wasted), his corrupt brother-in-law (Milind Gunaji), who is also a road contractor. Akshay and Milind’s poor work results in a bridge collapsing and they ask their driver (Tinnu Anand) to surrender.

As Aksahy continues his antics, he is confronted by the new municipal commissioner (Trishna Krishnan, who needs some acting lessons), who also happens to be Akshay’s girlfriend in college. Watching Akshay play a college student was quite ridiculous as well.

Akshay’s transformation into a good guy isn’t believable and leaves a lot to be desired. His teaming up with Trishna isn’t believable. Neither is her portrayal as an honest officer, who gets transferred for being too honest. The songs, barring Bullshit and Nana Chi Taang don’t strike a chord and the climax is quite banal and boring.

There are a couple of funny scenes. One of them is when Akshay is aghast when he realises that he has been cheated by Johnny Lever . The scene where you see an elephant pull the road roller is also funny. Also, the only useful bit of the movie is when they teach you how to implement the Right To Information Act.

Another unfortunate thing about the movie is that several noteworthy actors have been wasted. Apart from Khulbushan Kharbhanda and Aroona Irani, the other actor who is wasted is Makrand Deshpande, who plays a victim suffering from the aftereffects of the bridge collapse.

Our verdict is that unless you’re a diehard Akshay fan, we advice that you give this a miss

Anil Merani/Hill Road Media