Three’s not always company, which is essentially what this cocktail is all about. In fact, two is supposedly perfect company, but then when said two don’t fancy each other very well, then even two isn’t very good company.
And so, Cocktail is a classic triangle love story, and while the story might not be new, it is still very entertaining to see three very good performances in the likes of Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, and the newcomer Diana Penty. While Saif has honed his skills at gallivanting with the ladies over the years, I do believe Ms. Padukone has come a long way in delivering quite a compelling performance: first as the happy-go-lucky young woman, then the wronged and vengeful girlfriend, and finally, the magnanimous friend.
Much has been said about the formulaic and classically “Indian mentality” of the man to choose the stereotypically “good girl” for his bride, but what has been discounted is the equally strong character of the same girl in calling the shots to begin with, and finally taking matters into her hands in choosing whom she wishes to live with and whom she wishes to take back– or not. That’s not to be made light of in the grand scheme of things, and especially in the context of the Indian schema that tends to utilize double standards to assess male and female sensibilities. So, who picked whom is a debatable question, indeed.
For Cocktail to have been a truly outstanding movie, a little more development and depth to the characters would have been needed. But nonetheless, it is quite the entertaining story. And with supporting roles of mother and uncle, Dimple Kapadia and Boman Irani are absolutely hilarious and make quite the brother-sister pair. A special commendation for Padukone who showed great versatility and grit; someone give that girl a Filmfare award, please.
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Alex Haley 8/11/1921 – 2/10/1992 American author.
