/> MOVIE DETAILS

Cast: Boman Irani, Sohrab Ardeshir, Shernaz Patel, Imaad Shah, Dilshad Patel, Jahan Bativala, Zenobia Shroff and John Abraham in a special appearance
Director: Sooni Taraporevala
Producer: Sooni Taraporevala, Dina Stafford, Vandana Malik
Music: Bikram Ghosh

THE FILM

"All yours man" - The moment Imaad Shah mouths this dialogue by handing over the scooter's keys to his dad (Sohrab Ardeshir), you know for sure that this is one brilliant actor who deserves to be doing a lot more films.

Earlier making a huge impression in his debut film Dil Dosti Etc., courtesy a natural acting style, Imaad has taken a break since then.

However, Little Zizou, in spite of not quite featuring him in a title role, proves once again that this young man has in it him that differentiates a staged performance from something that comes naturally.

Its performances like these that make this directorial effort by Sooni Taraporevala a 'keep your smiles on' affair! To think of it, the film doesn't really have a single plotline on which it is based.

There are various characters in the film, all related to each other in some way or the other, and there are different tracks that each of their stories take.

No, Little Zizou isn't episodic or the kind where all characters somehow end up meeting each other in the hand. In fact the only common factor amongst all of them is the Parsi background, something that makes the film stand out.

Little Zizou is told through a delightful young boy (Jahan Bativala) who is passionate about football and Zidane. However, that's a very small part of the film which tells the story of this boy's father (Sohrab Ardeshir) who is an educated Parsi fundamentalist.

He has a secretary cum lover (Dilshad Patel) who is ready to take all dirt for his sake and sips alcohol discretely. He also has another son (Imaad Shah) who loves designing graphic comic strips, is also in love with the hottie next door (Dilshad Patel) who in turn is in love with another hottie (John Abraham).

So Imaad kind of plays a Jackie Shroff from 'Rangeela' practically every day as he drops Dilshad to her boy friend's place, watches them share some cozy moments and then even escorts her back home!

However, the film wouldn't have been what it is without Boman Irani who is clearly the pillar of Little Zizou. As a newspaper owner and editor, he is a complete natural and pretty much appears to be playing himself.

Forget his (intended) ham from films like Dostana and most recently Kambakkht Ishq - he is a different individual altogether in Little Zizou and it shows. He is delightful, lovable, sincere and very much in love with his wife (Zenobia Shroff) who herself is quite a find.

Together this ensemble cast makes Little Zizou a sweet film that follows a great graph throughout it's length, though becomes a little wayward in the middle portion when Zenobia visits her mother.

The entire conflict between Boman and Sohrab is done well though majority of best scenes are retained for Imaad and his interaction with Dilshad and Sohrab. Watch out for the scene where he is clearly amused by the fact that his dad was trying to make big noise around all the materialistic things that he had got for him ever since his chilhood!

What doesn't work though is a bunch of some more supporting actors and their mini-stories that have been embedded into the storyline.

Many of them appear to be forced in the narrative just because of their Parsi lineage, especially Cyrus Broacha who didn't fit into the storyline at all.

Also, Kamal Sidhu's mini appearance towards the film's end happened to come out of nowhere. The ending is a little abrupt as well though for a film like this, this was perhaps the best way to wrap it up all!

PACKAGING

The DVD comes in a regular plastic case though it is better than the usual Moser Baer 'thin plastic case' that had almost become a trademark for cheap priced DVDs over the years

DURATION

The film's duration is 90 minutes

SPECIAL FEATURES

- Commentary by director Sooni Taraporevala and Boman Irani
- Boman Irani Mambo King
- The Making
- Behind The Scenes

Director's commentary in Little Zizou has to be one of the most ordinary commentaries that one has heard in a film's DVD. It is not just lazy but also doesn't tell much about the scenes or their background.

Boman Irani too pitches in but after a few minutes, there isn't much interest left in a viewer to keep the commentary on. 'Making of the film' and 'Behind The Scenes' are decently done though.

However, yet again, because of the structure and content of the film, there isn't much that could have been 'revealed' per se in this segment. What makes up for all of this is the two minute 'Mambo' that Boman Irani does. Shot in one take, this dance number by Boman is absolutely delightful and deserves to be seen a few times before one puts down the DVD.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

- 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation - Subtitles in English - Dolby Digital 5.1 and Stereo

PRICE

Rs. 199/=

CONCLUSION

Thankfully, Little Zizou doesn't turn out to be a stereotypical Parsi tale in the offering. The background, milieu, rituals, lingo etc. remain rooted but the story and treatment is such that it could well find universal acceptance for itself.

This is why it comes across as a surprise that the film was released in theaters sans any promotion whatsoever. Yes, the film did break even but some more awareness created around it would have only made it a much bigger success.

Rating: ***