Starring: Akshaye Khanna, Naseeruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal, Om Puri, Genelia D'souza, Shovna, Manoj Joshi, Rajpal Yadav and Archana Puran Singh
Producer: Raman Maru, Ketan Maru, Maansi Maru
Director: Priyadarshan
Ratings: *1/2

Taking care of every minute wish of children has been thought of as parents' duty but while it comes to parents' wishes, children easily evade attending them. Different from this vogue, Mere Baap Pehle Aap depicts the story of a son for whom responsibility of his father is foremost.

Devoid of motherly affection since his childhood, Gaurav Rane (Akshaye Khanna) thinks of his father Janardan Vishwambhar Rane (Paresh Rawal) as playing the role of both his parents.

Besides Gaurav, Janardan has another son named Chirag (Manoj Joshi) who lives separately with his wife and sometimes comes to meet Janardan as if only to remind Janardan that he has another son.

Settling the characters down, the story reveals how Gaurav, the CEO of Magnum Moll, takes a childlike care of his father. As story further unfolds we get to know as how Janardan has a friend called Madhav Mathur (OM Puri), who freakily tries on getting married and at every attempt he gets caught by Inspector Bhavani (Archana Puran Singh) and, to the worse, Janardan also gets arrested alongside his friend.

Every time Gaurav has to come and set his father free and with each such incident Gaurav's hatred for Mathur gets hiked. In the flow of incidents Gaurav comes to meet his old classmate Shikha (Genelia D'souza) who stays in Mumbai with her teacher Anuradha Joshi (Shovna).

The story rolls on and reaches a spot where Shikha and Gaurav smell the love story being cooked between Janardan and Anuradha. Keeping in mind the emotions of his father, Gaurav gets his father married to Anuradha.

Shikha's father, Mr. Kapoor (Naseeruddin Shah), who has been completely against Shikha and Gaurav's relation only because of Janardan's affair with Anuradha, understands Gaurav's emotions and respecting it, he agrees on Shikha's wedding with Gaurav.

The story may look very nice and touchy but the improper presentation mars the chance of holding audience. Comedy King Priyadarshan seems failing in plotting natural riot of laughter among people.

Truly speaking, the film looks more one-act drama than a complete cinema. Besides the bungalows, Moll, Shikha's house and beautiful frames of Kerala, there is nothing else that should be recapped.

Akshaye and Paresh show enough chemistry in their father-son relationship. Looking at the positive side of the matter, the film can teach people well to take care of their parents. But that's all. The film has nothing more to attract audience.

Genelia looks attractive in few scenes but her dialogue delivery would make other directors dither a bit before enlisting her in any other Hindi flick. Even Rajpal looks quite frozen in his character and fails in appealing people.

The character of Madhav Mathur maybe new in Om Puri's career graph but it creates nothing different. Along with Om Puri, talents like Naseeruddin Shah and Shovna also look helpless in the film. Better to say the film is wastage of talent and their time. Even the music of the film fails in affecting people.

Mere Baap Pehle Aap somehow gives a feeling as if Priyadarshan has also started following Ram Gopal Varma's footsteps.

Priyadarshan has given loads of hits to the industry and has banked enough expectations from all the audience. Better if the Comedy King also understands the matter and takes it seriously. -Rajnee Gupta