Media Magick

Yasir Nawaz’s last venture Mehrunisa V Lub U was unanimously (apart from a few) declared as a disaster, this time the team is back with Wrong No. 2 (which isn’t a sequel) and features Sami Khan, Neelum Muneer, Javed Sheikh, Mehmood Aslam and Sana Fakhar in pivotal characters. Right from Naadaaniyaan days Yasir Nawaz is known for projects which bank on humor, sometimes they are okay-ish (like Wrong No.) and at times they are terrible (like Mehrunisa V Lub U); let’s find out where Wrong No. 2 falls.

Trailer: Wrong No. 2

There’s a craze (in Pakistan) to make brainless comic capers, and every other filmmaker tries to experiment with this genre. After all, it caters to a larger number of audiences (aka mass audience). Before digging deeper, let’s shed some light on why most brainless comedies in India and Pakistan worked well and are still remembered as cult classic. To start with, there has to be a solid script where puns are interestingly and smartly added. Then the other element is creating confusions to add hilarity for the viewers, and this confusion does not ideally confuse the audience. Last but not the least two other important factors are performances (comic-timings) and fast paced storytelling coupled with crisp editing. All these elements make a film entertaining and enjoyable. If the formula is applied correctly, wonders can happen.

Wrong No. 2 has all these elements available in it, some are in abundance and a few are scarce, but the presence is there. Wrong No. 2 is smarty written with some clap worthy and a few very creative puns. People can easily relate with jokes whether they are from posh class or masses. Direction is pretty decent and at places makes viewers emotional as well. Characters may look a little stupid but that’s what Andaz Apna Apna and Hera Pheri had, which are considered as cult comic classics. To me, because of some interestingly penned confusion, Wrong No. 2 reminds me of House Full 2.

Another prominent thing about Wrong No. 2 is that it doesn’t highlight any actor as ‘Hero’ and every character is given the liberty to outshine and be the part which they play. Mehmood Aslam and Javed Sheikh steal the show and their chemistry is first rate. They were seen together in Teefa In Trouble (last year) and if you liked their chemistry in that film you are bound to love them in Wrong No. 2. Javed Sheikh takes the character to next level and adds humor in every scene he appears in. Mehmood Aslam gives neck to neck competition to Javed Sheikh. Mehmood Alsam’s accent reminds me of Ismail Shaahid’s character (Daa Jee) from 1994’s classic comic drama Jhoot Ki Aadat Nahin Mujhe.

Yasir Nawaz looks the part which he plays and his chemistry with Sana Fakhar is good. Neelum Muneer looks gorgeous and that’s pretty much it. Sami Khan doesn’t has anything to offer, as he plays a simpleton which means in a comedy film he doesn’t get to do comedy, he needs to work on his dance and stunts. Danish Nawaz is as usual loud but serves the purpose for the front-seaters. Ahmed Hassan is loud and overacts a lot.

Wrong No. 2 is fresh, nicely made and crisply written film. The film keeps audience engaged not because it offers something different; no it’s very predictable, but because it offer good one-liners, crisp dialogues and some genuine funny scenes.