Brothers in Arms

Directors Abbas and Mustan have been credited with giving superstars their biggest breaks, and have now managed to pull out yet another rabbit out of the hat with Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon; but the two continue to lie low as far as personal marketing and publicity go

They've been on their tips and toes for over three decades now. Abbas-Mustan, known as the director-duo and Men in White (they wear only this achromatic colour), are possibly the slickest stylists ever spawned by Bollywood.
They're also known for giving today's A-listers - Shah Rukh Khan (Baazigar) and Akshay Kumar (Khiladi) - their most career-defining roles, besides reinventing Saif Ali Khan's image with Race, rescuing Bobby Deol from the doldrums with Soldier, and introducing Salman Khan's kid brother Arbaaz in his only part of substance in Daraar. And now, they've actually made a star of sorts of Kapil Sharma, with the situational comedy Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon, an adaptation of the Kannada film Nimbehuli.
That's quite a surprise. After a long run, Kapil Sharma's show, Comedy Nights With Kapil, was becoming immensely tiresome. He is not quintessential star material and frequently tends to irritate when he becomes smarmily ingratiating with the stars who appear on his show to gain publicity for their upcoming films.
Yet, thanks to the patented sharp and swift editing, the calling card of ?Abbas-Mustan, abetted by their excessively low-profile brother Hussain ?Burmawalla, the medium budget comedy opened to packed houses. For sure, Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon can't be slotted as a 'top quality' film by any stretch of the imagination. The humour is of the silly slapstick variety and the plot, about a middle-aged man caroming between four heroines, is as chauvinistic and corny as it gets.

Panned by the critics, Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon opened to a way more enthusiastic response than Calendar Girls, directed by Madhur Bhandarkar, or Bhaag Johnny Bhaag, directed by Shivam Nair, which released on the same day. Following Chandni Bar and Page 3, Bhandarkar had amassed a loyal following for his slice-of-life movies, a fan base which seems to have abandoned him at long last. As for Bhaag Johnny Bhaag, it was produced by the prolific Vikram Bhatt who, believe it or gasp, made a spooky guest appearance as a genie (or was it a ghost?) in this head-banger of a thriller.
Abbas-Mustan have lucked out by proving the point that they don't need top stars to keep them in the saddle, so to speak. Although Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar owe the debt of stardom to them, the actors haven't exactly jumped at offers advanced to them by the duo later on. Gratitude isn't the strongest suit of Bollywood's top shots after all, is it?
 
In fact, by dilly-dallying over his consent for Race 3, Saif Ali Khan virtually ended the franchise which could have flourished. A pity, because when it comes to jaw-dropping action stunts - cars going up in smoke, chases down the streets of exotic international locations, glamorous heroines and the bad guys getting their just desserts - there's no one who can quite match Abbas-Mustan's showmanship. No, not even the current flavour of the season, Rohit Shetty, whose scripts sputter and meander aimlessly.
Perhaps the Achilles' heel of the duo - sons of a furniture dealer in Gujarat - is that they aren't publicity savvy. Even ardent Bollywood-goers can't figure out which one of the siblings is Abbas, and which Mustan. For the record, Abbas is the one who's shorter in height; Mustan is the one who towers above him in the rare photographs clicked by the paparazzi.
At the few show town parties they are invited to and attend, they're thoroughly ill at ease. Like Cinderalla, they try to leave the venue before the gong of midnight. As for their brother Hussain Burmawalla, he goes by totally unrecognised to the extent that he is rarely, if ever, requested for an autograph.
Perhaps the ingrained humility of the Burmawalla brothers - all in their 60s, this guesstimate since they never disclose their age - makes them different from the herd. No one has a nasty word to say about them. They have tremendous goodwill.
But that's it. They lack that important heft in the corridors of B-town's trade, where visibility matters more than competence. It goes without saying then that the efforts by Abbas-Mustan to launch their sons as actors have been in vain so far.
Once lodged in a couple of cramped rooms in a seamier side of Mumbai, the brothers live with their families in separate luxurious apartments today. Which is the least that they deserve. They've slogged without any let-up, never mind the inevitable count of commercial downers (Naqaab, Mr Fraud and Players, for instance).
Now, something tells me that with the sleeper hit status of Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon, superstar actors won't be showing them the door (politely, albeit) any more. Aah, the sweet smell of success!
Do I sense the announcement of Race 3 just around the corner?