Bombay to Bangkok - what a wonderful journey

Shankar (Shreyas Talpade), an amateur thief, needs money desperately. Therefore, he steals from the local don (Nasseeruddin Shah). He escapes from Bombay to Bangkok impersonating as a doctor. He hides the money and is unable to retrieve it when he reaches Bangkok. Later he meets Jasmine (Lena Christensen) and is interested in her. However, he doesn't speak Thai nor does she speak Hindi. They speak in broken English or with the translator's help, Rajwinder (Manmeet Singh). With her help, they go on an adventurous journey to escape the don (Naseerudin Shah) and his wannabe rapper son Jam K (Vijay Maurya).

What interest me in this movie? Thailand! I was born in Thailand so it always interest me when Bollywood films are filmed in Thailand such as Zinda, Ek Ajnabee, 36 Chinatown, etc. Although I have no memory of Thailand since I came to the USA when I was only six months old (I'm basically American), it still amuses me when my favorite cinema - Bollywood - is film in Thailand, the country I was born in (I've never been back, I know, I know).

Besides the movie being shot in Thailand for a reason for me to watch the film, the other reason is Shreyas. I love him and think he's an underrated actor. When I first saw him in Iqbal, I was blown away by his brilliant acting. Being in Om Shanti Om, a Shah Rukh Khan film, has helped him gain more fans. Whether it's a serious role like in Iqbal or a comediac performance in Apna Sapna Money Money, Shreyas never fails to disappoint me. He was just as convincing as the love struck guy in Bombay to Bangkok.

Goris play the main heroine in a few Bollywood films already - Jennifer Kendal (Bombay Talkie), Rachel Shelly (Lagaan), Antonia Bernath (Kisna), Alice Patten (Rang De Basanti), etc. Since I'm Hmong/Southeast Asian/Pan Asian, I've always wanted to see a Pan Asian heroine in Bollywood films. I was ecstatic when Lena Christensen was the main heroine in Bombay to Bangkok. Although Lena isn't full-blooded Thai, I was still happy. She has the same facial structure as Tata Young, who ironically is a famous singer/actress in Thailand and sang the song 'Dhoom Dhoom' - Dhoom. Both being Euroasian with difference Lena's half Thai/Dutch while Tata is half Thai/British-American. One of my friends tell me that a lot of Thai stars in Thailand are mix with European. Her acting is decent and she's very funny in the film.

 

Shankar and Jasmine communicate to each other through the translator - Rajwinder (Manmeet Singh).

The love story between Ram K (Vijay Maurya) and Rati (Jeneva Talwar) is so cute. They both understood each other. It was not a big part of the movie but it's worth mentioning. I would like see more of Vijay in the future.

Naseerudin has a short role but he's always good at what he does.

Shreyas and Lena definitely have chemistry.

The wonderful kiss between the two....

Just because the director is Nagesh Kukunoor, do not expect a brilliant masterpiece like Iqbal or Dor. Do yourself a favor and just watch the film to watch it. Don't think too hard. Bombay to Bangkok is definitely a cute timepass romantic comedy film. There hasn't been many romantic comedies in Bollywood lately so it was a good start in 2008 for me. Being the first Bollywood film I saw in 2008, I was satisfied. Although I do love the fact Bollywood is doing more different genres, it's always good to see a romantic comedy.