Circus (2022)

Nature versus nurture debate has fascinated scientific minds for ages. Dr Roy (Murali Sharma), wants to prove the theory that nurture always trumps nature and to do so he separates two sets of identical twins who were set up for adoption. The first pair of boys is adopted by a circus owner and are named Roy and Joy in honour of the good samaritans who run the orphanage. Strangely, the other couple who adopts the next set too names them Roy and Joy for the same reason.

Roy (Ranveer Singh) and Joy (Varun Sharma) now run their father’s circus in Ooty. Roy is married to Mala (Pooja Hegde), who writes mystery novels under a pseudonym. The other pair are raised in Bangalore by a rich businesswoman. This Roy has a girlfriend called Bindu (Jacqueline Fernandez), whose rich father Rai sahab (Sanjay Mishra) and his secretary Prem (Anil Charanjeett) are always spying on them. A psychic connection exists between the two Roys. The circus performer has the ability to handle live electricity without getting harmed. Whenever the current flows through the Ooty Roy, the Bangalore Roy feels the shock. Dr Roy has been monitoring both sets of twins for the last 30 years and acts as the film’s narrator. 

Siddhartha Jadhav plays Momo, a thief with sidekicks called Mango and Chikki. Momo’s boss is Polson, played by Johnny Lever. Momo and company want to rob the Bangalore Roy and Joy as they were seen carrying a lot of money. They have come to Ooty to buy a tea estate and what follows is a case of mistaken identities as the two pairs are mistaken for each other.

The film’s message, that orphans too deserve a loving home, has been lost somewhere in this erroneous comedy. It’s inspired by both Shakeseare’s The Comedy Of Errors and Gulzar’s Angoor (1982) and does justice to neither. Director Rohit Shetty has made some odd choices. Both sets of Roy and Joy are as bland as they come. There’s one physical gag, that of the Bangalore Roy feeling shock when his Ooty twin touches a livewire but after a while it loses novelty. The other comic device is Sanjay Mishra being made to deliver dialogue like stock comic villains. The Ajitesque dialogue doesn’t suit his personality. He gamely spouts one cheesy line after another but this too loses steam after a while. And you can’t expect Sanjay Mishra, who is no Mehmood or IS Johar, to shoulder a film starring Ranveer Singh. Sanjay’s forte is subtle comedy and his over the top hamming just doesn’t hold sway. The same is true of the antics of other comedians like Siddhartha Jadhav and Johnny Lever – all good actors in their own right but struggling here for lack of decent material. The overtly bright and colourful colour scheme jars as well. 

The best thing about the film is the song Current laga re, featuring Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh. The duo display oodles of oomph and chemistry in it and how we wish the same treatment was given to the rest of the film as well. 

Pooja Hegde’s character is said to be a suspense novelist but all we see of her is a weeping willow who wants to be a mother at all costs. Jacqueline Fernandez is seen in the opening ten minutes and then disappears, only to return in the last ten. Varun Sharma, who can be relied to provide light hearted moments is given a dazed expression throughout for some reason in both his roles. And Ranveer Singh, who was so good with one-liners in Simmba, is perhaps given the most underwritten role (s) of his career. He’s known for his flamboyance both off and on screen and it’s strange to see him in a role which doesn’t play to his strengths 

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