I very much enjoyed this dark comedy that is most set in a night between 1:40 and 4:10. On his way home a young man, Nilesh misses the last train. The next one's due at 4:10 so he goes wondering the streets in search of a taxi or any other alternative that will get him home. He only has 70 rupees but, by the end of the night, he ends up with 25 million. How? During Nilesh's adventure (or misadventure) we are introduced to various characters including a Nana Patekar wannabe wannabe, a corpulent 'cabaret' singer, an obese 'hijra', a glass-eyed hit-man, a wacky chatterbox of a tomboy, a ruthless CC (corrupt cop) and lots of unusual 'visitors' of the night.
Abhay Deol is one of the very few fine actors of the current generation who is a risk-taker. I'd seen him earlier in 'Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd' where he was hilarious and here the actor just merges very well into the character that is equally comedic. He's not afraid at all to look like a fool on screen (as required by the character), something that will scare most of his peers away. The actor bravely accepts the part and does a remarkable job. Neha Dhupia is mostly adequate but in a few scenes, she tends to go over the top. The supporting cast are great and really bring out the humour. I just thought the three hit men in the car sequences were bit loud and could have used some slight toning down.
The songs play in the background. There is one very pleasant song that often repeats in the background, a great song for a rainy or just-rained scene. The cabaret number 'Kukuruku' is quite catchy. The voice-over is quite charming and quirky and gives more insight into Nilesh's character.
Director Khanduri deserves a pat on the shoulder for coming up with something different that is so much fun to watch. He's clearly inspired by Tarantino and Richie and creatively puts his inspiration to good use in the film. For me, '1:40 Ki Last Local' is one of the ideal rainy day flicks.
