The Kukunoor banner leads you to the theatres with certain expectations. Dollops of delicious humour, candid scenes straight out of your life, cherishable parodies, heart rending emotional non-drama, sexual overtones — all these woven with essential simplicity. Bombay to Bangkok too has all of these but it majorly lacks in affecting you in any way. Although well scripted like every other Kukunoor’s, this one merely passes by.

Shankar (Shreyas Talpade) is a happy go lucky chef who turns into a petty thief. One fine day, he flees with his newfound fortune — an abandoned pouch with enough dough to fly him to Dubai and help him earn a cure for his ailing mother and rid him of his middle class life.

Unfortunately, the pouch belongs to a local Don – Khan seth, who is determined to pursue Shankar unto death. While running away from the gritty goons, Shankar escapes with a board of doctors headed to Bangkok for relief camp and loses his all important bag in this chaos. Lady luck returns, this time in the form of a lovely Thai hooker — Jasmine, who is oh-so-fine except that Shankar and she fall trap to language problem. The dark tunnel leads to some light when Shankar poses as a doctor with his Sardar buddy, Rachinder’s help, and floors Jasmine.

Shankar and Jasmine fall into a whirlpool as more misadventures court them, including the indecipherable games of the heart. 

The characters are funny — notably the rapper Don — sentimental and obsessive about rapping that he seldom speaks normally. Also delighting is the goofy Rachinder, a true friend with a heart of gold to whom Shankar literally becomes a pain in the neck. Naseeruddin Shah is the surprise element of the film with his usual impeccable performance, though ruefully for a brief cameo.

The cultural differences looming large between Shankar and Jasmine and their struggle to communicate compel you to guffaw every single time. The credit should go to the loveable boy-next-door Shreyas Talpade, who has sailed through with great ease.  Lena Christensen adorably justifies her part.

This stress busting movie is no must watch but if you have to choose amongst the circus, a rollercoaster ride and Bombay to Bangkok, pick the last.