Movie Review: It is difficult to say what 'David' is really about

Cast: Vikram, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Vinay Virmani

Dir: Bejoy Nambiar

Rating: * *

The film tells the complicated stories of three Davids - one in London in 1975 (Smooth Gangster Neil Nitin Mukesh), another in Mumbai in 1999 (Mr Dreadlocks Vinay Virmani) and the third in Goa in 2010 (Mr Bewdya Chiyaan Vikram) - in such a chaotic manner that it is neither chronological nor logical. So let this review make things a bit simpler.

Smooth Gangster David
He is the right-hand to a Muslim mafioso businessman Ghani in London, whose men think nothing of killing rival gang members in broad daylight.

The UK government of the time doesn't care. Strangely enough, two Indian agents are sent all the way from India to assassinate this ganglord. Even more strangely they approach rival ganglord Zuber to help them in the mission only to be told that nobody can touch Ghani till the Smooth Gangster is by his side.

Then we find that there is some chakkar between Ghani and Smooth Gangster's mommy and that Ghani could be involved in David's father's murder many years ago. David's sweetheart Noor is also married off to Ghani's son. Uff, what will David do now?


Mr Dreadlocks David
This lad is a wannabe musician struggling for a break. He teaches guitar, performs in nightclubs and in his free time, he makes fun of his priest Father Noel (Nasser) and his pleas for charity. Well, papa dear gets lynched by a mob of a Hindu political organisation for forcibly converting people. This enrages Mr Dreadlocks. How will David seek justice for his father?


David the Bewdya
He is the manhoos whose wife ran away on their wedding day and whom no other woman has dared to marry afterward. Although his Captain Haddock style swigging and a predilection for boxing brides and old women could be major reasons for his unmarried state.

Of course, Mr Bewdya has given up on love and is content to talk to his dead father and massage parlourwali Freni (Tabu) about life's problems and get spurious advice in return.

David then promptly falls in love with his friend's fiancee Roma. The girl is deaf and dumb and is dumb enough to give him all sorts of ideas with a peck on the cheek! Ab kya karenga, Bewdya?


Prima facie, all stories seem interesting but apart from parts of the London track, none of them are even remotely engaging. After the initial outrage of the Vinay Virmani episode, his story turns out to be pretty pakau while the Vikram portion is very childish.

Scenes from one track alternate with another without reason or narrative logic or even pause. And yet, it all could have worked had it just been three different stories and challenges, without having to link them in the most cliched manner possible.

Bejoy Nambiar's second venture has none of the energy or the edge of his first Shaitaan. But the storytelling shows maturity. A pity that it turned out to be so average.