Welcome to New York movie review: Watch this tacky spoof film only for Karan Johar, Riteish Deshmukh

All the clues you need to know what the film Welcome to New York is about, are in the opening credits.

The producer is an event agency Wizcraft, the force behind IIFA. The special thanks list includes every star and musical talent that walked the green carpet at the New York edition of the international film awards function. The director is Chakri Toleti, and he takes the spoof genre and showcases how you butcher it. It would, therefore, not been incorrect to say this is a Welcome to the IIFA movie.

You have the stars, you have their time and their talent at your beck and call, you have the venue and the sponsors. All you need is a silly, slim storyline to bind it together. Lara Dutta plays Sophie, a dedicated marketing executive who is wounded by her boss Gary’s (Boman Irani) lack of appreciation. As revenge she plans an elaborate take-down. She uses a public contest which will bring two ‘common’ people to participate at IIFA thereby sabotaging the New York event.

Karan Johar and Riteish Deshmukh in Welcome to New York.

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The opening song sequence is so tacky you can see the synthetic fabrics and overacting extras popping out of the screen in all the film’s 3D tastelessness. Cut to somewhere in Punjab where Teji Sandhu (Diljit Dosanjh), a small time goon with delusions of stardom who is compelled to ape famous actors every time he passes his reflection.

In Gujarat, a fairly smart costume designer Jinal Patel believes the IIFA platform will help heal her broken heart and present her designs to the world. Sophie believes Teji and Jinal are the worst contestants and picks them as part of her plan.

In New York, Teji and Jinal share experiences, excitement, disappointment and find the motivation to awaken their inner talents. Sinha and Dosanjh are both likeable and one hopes the compensation for being a part of this pointless parody was significantly more than a trip to NYC.

In another plot line, a Karan Johar double called Arjun hates everything the director represents, most of all his hit movies. Johar seems to be having a ball playing both characters, not just disparaging his own films but also taking the mickey out of his penchant for designer wear. The only scenes that offer some comic relief feature either one of the Johars or Ritesh Deshmukh, like the one where the latter suggests Karan Johar cast him in a Marathi remake of the Student of the Year.

The 3D part in the film is a waste. The intent behind Welcome to New York leaves many questions – why is the main one. Why 3D, why make this movie, why give Karan Johar a double role, why not use more cameos? Why watch this indulgent snoozefest? That last question is the only one with a clear answer.