Govinda wins through

Govinda wins through
Mimmy Jain

Looking for some light entertainment? A family outing on a rainy evening? Try David Dhawan's Kunwara at a nearby theatre. This "no strain on the brain" movie offers wholesome entertainment, and a winning performance by Govinda, backed ably by Urmila Matondkar and the inimitable Kader Khan.

This rather amusing film is based on the simple plot of a well-meaning young man, Raju (Govinda), who falls in love with one sister, Urmila (Urmila), but is compelled by circumstances to pretend he's the husband of the other sister, Sharmila (Nagma). The effect of the film lies in the treatment it gets in director Dhawan's hands, who, for once, sticks to his basic plot, without letting his characters wander into any side alleys. The only problem with the film is that it has far too many songseight in allfor its own good. They hold the story up when all you want to know is what happens next.Johnny Lever, as Gopal, Raju's friend, draws a few well-deserved laughs. Om Puri as Balraj Pratap Singh, the father of the two girls, looks as if he wandered into the film straight from the sets of Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge. Even his role here is similar.

Govinda is winning as always; what he needs to lose is some weight, and fast. Urmila matches him step for step, derriere for derriere in the dances, but falters once in a while in the humour. Nagma cries practically all through the film. If this is her "comeback" vehicle into Bollywood, she'll have to make more comebacks, for sure.