Jaideep Varma's Hulla opened to a predictably laconic response. The promos were lacklustre and it got uniformally trashed in reviews all over. The only reason I ventured to see it was because of an innate sense of curiosity which had prompted similar excursions to films as diverse as Suwariya and Gauri-The Unborn, the quest to find out if it is really as bad as they say and if it is, we'll have fun anyway. The day me and Ravi went to see this film, we were perversely thrilled about being the only people in the theater to have attended the screening. Some 6 people trickled in later and played spoilsport to our illusions of privilege.

After seeing the film, I wish more people had come to see it. This was one fine satire exploring the very essence of contemporary middle-class existence in the city. It wasn't just a brainless comedy made on the cheap as some reviews have been bandying about. It had the guffaws and one-liners and melded them seamlessly with well realised characters and very realistic, complicated situations.

The plot (if you can call it that) goes something like this - Raj Puri (Sushant Singh) is a stock broker, happily married with a beautiful wife, who is unable to sleep at night because of the noise made by the incessant whistling of his watchman. This starts affecting his work terribly and repeated attempts to curb the menace turns him into a nuisance for everyone around him. Janardhan (Rajat Kapoor) who is the society chairman, whose proud idea it was to install the whistling system, is a businessman with too little teeth or skulduggery for business. He has to contend with his cricket-obsessed son and a meditation-fanatic wife.

The film is, at its core, a clash between the two characters and in turn, a struggle between them and the world at large. It is to the credit of the director Jaideep Verma, who is also the scriptwriter, that he portrays both of them in an ambiguous light. They both have to deal with very understandable problems but are also unaccomodative when it comes to adjusting to the world around them. The themes tackled in the film, of migration, class divisions, the banality of everyday life and the noisy times we live in, are weighty and relevant and it is commendable that they have been dealt with in such an entertaining and engaging manner. At times, the film is ribtickingly hilarious. The policeman painstakingly teaching Raj Puri to pronounce his name is one of my favourites and this scene becomes an uproariously funny punchline to the few scenes preceding it, which have Raj fudge pronunciations repeatedly.

It is indeed terrific that the film manages to inject a good number of jokes without ever losing focus on the larger issues at hand. It walks a tightrope in finding meaning and humour in everyday reality and seldom teeters over the edge. Which is why it infuriates me no end that it got such a bad reception from the critics here, an indication of the widespread corruption and apathy in that community. The film is not flawless but most of its flaws are the result of a low budget. Some characters like Raj's boss and a few of the society people were obviously non actors and the cinematography is a little too soft at times, but these are superficial issues. This is a mature and well realised film made by a very observant mind that deserves to be seen and applauded.