Shyam Benegal's Well Done Abba seems to take off from where Dev Benegal left in Road, Movie (remember the water dacoit episode), albeit in a different set up. The plot has been adapted from a short story Narsaiyyan Ki Bavdi by Urdu writer Jeelani Bano that was also translated into a tele-film for Doordarshan. No points for guessing, the story dwells on scarcity of water in rural India.
Well, the story goes like this. Armaan Ali (Boman Irani) comes back after a three-month hiatus and his boss simply asks him to leave. But Armaan somehow entraps his boss' attention and wriggles back into his driver’s seat. Thus begins a colorful and exciting journey as Armaan narrates his story. He introduces us to his twin brother Rahman (Boman Irani), his sister-in-law, his daughter (Minissha Lamba), and explains how he got entangled in the vicious circle of corrupt politics, once he reached his village, Chikatpalli.
The casual visit to Chikatpalli gets long-drawn-out when he comes across the water crisis there and decides to get a well dug in his fields. As Armaan runs around bribing everyone in the line, starting from the officer, collector, engineer, village-head to a photographer, you can almost see a glimpse of Pankaj Kapur of TV show Office Office in him.
Like his previous film, Welcome to Sajjanpur, this one doesn’t dwell on over-the-top jokes. More of a situational comedy the hilarity lies in the stark reality of the life around Armaan Ali. We laugh at Armaan's innocence, his naivety more than Rahman's slyness.
The film is not just an entertainer, but leaves a message in a subtle way.
The first half is thoroughly entertaining. But a few unwanted scenes; especially Ravi Kishen's sexually charged innuendos thrown at Sonali Kulkarni are rather irritating and unnecessary. Besides, the lethargic pace takes away the charm in the second half. The writing goes haywire after the interval.
As for performances, Minissha Lamba takes you by surprise with her bubbly self. The eccentric couple Boman Irani aka Rahman and his wife Ila Arun make a fantastic pair on screen. Samir Dattani shows his talent without going overboard. His portrayal of Arif, a mechanic, working in his foster father’s shop is commendable. Boman Irani is incredible as Armaan Ali with his typical Hyderabadi accent. Sonali Kulkarni is completely wasted in the film. Amongst the rest cast are Shyam Benegal regulars such as Rajit Kapoor, Ravi Jhankal, Yashpal Sharma and company who did their job well as usual. If one remembers the Doordarshan serial Farmaan, its pretty lead actress Deepika makes a comeback with a cameo in this one. She plays Rajit Kapoor's bickering wife.
Technically, the film is good, except for the green screen footage that looks immature and irrelevant in the present context. But the scrapbook-style introduction at the beginning of the film is quite amusing.
Music by Shantanu Moitra works in the context of the film.
Overall, the film is worth a watch save for its slow pace.
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