Director: Anil Devgan
Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Ajay Devgan, Kajol, Johny Lever, Tikku Talsania, Sakshi, Harsh, Kinshuk and Sanjay
Dutt.
Ajay Devgan's lavishly budgeted in-house production 'Raju Chacha' is targetted at little children. It has brother Anil as a first time director and wife Kajol playing the female lead. The director has let his imagination run wild and cross the barriers of the routine run-of-the-mill fare. This has resulted in a script that is enjoyable, with some unusual backdrops that transport one into a land of fairy-tale. The set of the palatial bungalow where Rishi Kapoor, playing a widower, and his three kids live - is breathtaking. Art-director Nitin Desai should be commended for his visualization. Kajol can charm you with her light eyes and vivaciousness, and Ajay Devgan with his intensity. Age has not withered Rishi Kapoor's charm. But what lingers in one's mind is the dream
house and the three lovable little kids - Sakshi, Harsh and Kinshuk - who inhabit it.
A wealthy widower hires a governess (Kajol) to look after his three spirited kids. After some unsuccessful attempts to chase her away, a strong bonding develops between them. Ajay Devgan, a small time thief and con man falls for Kajol and tricks his way into her heart. On their wedding day she discovers his real identity when the police come to take him away. Heartbroken, Kajol returns to her orphanage.
Rishi Kapoor's avaricious relatives hand-in-glove with their unscrupulous business associates, plot to kill Rishi and his kids. While Rishi is killed the three children escape, only to be traumatized by the evil gang who have taken over the house. Devgan now turns up as their long lost uncle "Raja Chacha", and stakes his claim as the rightful heir. Kajol too returns to the house. How the duo with the help of the kids, the servant of the house, and a jailbird (Sanjay Dutt in a friendly appearance) give the villains what they deserve forms the rest of the story.
The film has some fine special effects. The opening scene of the hero dressed in a clown's garb and robbing a bank, with its origin in a Hollywood film, inspired Bhagyaraj to incorporate it in his film too! The closing scene of the remote controlled toy car hounding the villains can also be traced to a Hollywood film. The film has a running time of about three hours and needs some trimming. Apart from that, it's fun time for the kids with 'Raju Chacha' which is magic on celluloid.
Malini Mannath
