Don't hesitate in making a quick buck, even if it involves bending the conscience as per convenience.
A little ambition never did anyone any harm. Opportunism pays. Aim for the stars.
Play the game of greed. Manipulate, exploit, and try every dirty trick in the book.
No, I am not here to give you a crash course in immorality. These are the beliefs of the three main protagonists of Aziz Mirza's Yes Boss. Hold on, if you thought this must be some high brow Wall Street brand of flick, erase those thoughts this very minute.
Mirza deals with the ugliness of avarice and overdrive with characteristic mischievous humour.
Which movie would you recommend?
Released in 1997, this charming romantic comedy features Shah Rukh Khan as Rahul Joshi. Rahul is neither cute nor strong enough to be the hero. He isn't exactly a bad guy either. He is a mama's boy, a miser who makes notes, somewhat of an MCP and suggested pimp. Rahul, basically, is his womaniser boss, Siddharth Chaudhry's (Aditya Panscholi) sharp albeit reliable bootlicker. Besides fleecing money off Da Boss, Rahul also helps him save face before Siddharth's Ritchie Rich wife (Kashmira Shah, in an example of how not to do make-up) is exposed of his numerous infidelities.
Truth be told, Rahul is no putty! He has his own vested interests in doing so. Boss has promised to make his life long dream of heading an advertisement agency come true. The tacky model of which Rahul is shown drooling at, at least three times in the film.
Now comes the bone of contention, namely upcoming model Seema Bakshi (Juhi Chawla). Without beating around the bush, Seema tells Rahul early on that if she fails to make it big, she'll marry a guy who already is. And who might it be? Big B! The big boss, silly!
Blissfully unaware of Siddharth's marital status, Seema enjoys every bit of roses and attention showered upon her. Meanwhile, Rahul too gets all starry-eyed about Seema but quietly relegates himself in the 'good friend' category.
Circumstances compel the friendly duo to take the roles of acting husband-wife.
Yes Boss isn't a slapstick comedy by any yardstick. It isn't a spoof either. Yes, it is funny. But no, you wont roll on the floor. The idea is to show an unlikely romance between two ambitious, misled creatures in today's cutthroat moneymaking society. Mirza also emphasises that it is as much right of a woman to be a go-getter as it is of a man. And that it would be unfair to discriminate.
The ethics of the characters in the film could be of a questionable nature had it been taken too seriously. But that is exactly what Mirza steers clear of. He makes a light joke out of everyone and everything. The biting nature of reality is treated with comic irony and witty repartee. Even when playing foul or plain dumb, the feel-good factor in Rahul and Seema's characters is never lost. Even the bad guys are reduced to bumbling, beaten fools in the end. Sanjay Chhel's screenplay and dialogues (co-written with Mangesh Kulkarni) evoke a mirthful response.
Songs are always welcome in a light-hearted romance. Yes Boss offers a bunch of lively Jatin-Lalit compositions soaked in the lyrical ink of Javed Akhtar's pen. Chand tare, Main koi aisa geet gaon, Ek din aap and Jaata hai tu kahan fit effortlessly into the script.
Shah Rukh Khan of Yes Boss had already tasted blockbuster stardom post-Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. The seeds of superstar SRK had been sown. Here too, he played to his audience with his trademark charisma and confident screen presence. The goofy attitude, stuttering nervousness, super duper energy levels, bashful charm that is now often dubbed repetitive by critics is present in truckloads here. At times, his performance appears to have taken a leaf from Amitabh Bachchan's 'first and foremost an entertainer' in Namak Halal and Amar Akbar Anthony.
His co-star, the eternally endearing Juhi Chawla, suffers from a hazily sketched role that can't quite decide whether her Seema is naïve or driven. The chirpy star, however, makes up for it by looking utterly adorable. Adorable may not be the word that comes to your mind to describe Aditya Panscholi's Siddharth. The light-eyed actor got a new lease in his career after his delightful portrayal of a schmuck in the movie.
At times a tad silly and genuinely funny on others, but always entertaining, this is one boss you can't say no to.