Laughing from TV to the Big Screen…

Pic: Khichdi The Movie; Source: glamsham.com

The success of Khichdi: The Movie is important for any future TV to big screen adaptations in India as the trend has just about taken off. And if such a popular series is unable to make it big as a movie then what will? Thankfully, the film is made on a small budget and from what I saw today, the film should make a neat profit. Congratulations J D Majethia (Producer) and Aatish Kapadia (Director) for delivering a clean comedy that can be enjoyed by the whole family. However, it may not become a big hit as the audience would be limited to the series’ fans and there are two big ticket competitors in cinemas this week (Robot and Anjaana Anjaani).

Khichdi: The Movie is a situational comedy just like the series and its strength lies in its clever writing – the characters and the deadpan humour. For those not familiar with the series, Khichdi is about a middle class, Gujarati joint family in Mumbai. Tulsidas Bhai (Anang Desai) is the head of the Parekh family – a frustrated old man who is fed up of his son Praful’s (Rajeev Mehta) stupidity. Praful is not only stupid but is madly in love with his lazy and equally dim wife, Hansa (Supriya Pathak) who is obsessive about matching her sarees and accessories. Jayshree (Nimisha Vakharia) is Tulsidas’ widowed daughter-in-law who loves to gossip and is gifted with a sharp mind. Then there is Himanshu (J D Majethia) who is Hansa’s brother with similar mental prowess and the two smartest members of the family, the kids – Jacky and Chakkhi.

The film’s story takes from a thread tackled in the series earlier – Himanshu’s love story and wedding with neighbour, Parminder Kaur from the Parminder family (yes, all 65 members of the family are called Parminder). All actors are good in the characters they made famous but a special mention for Nimisha Vakharia who managed to play Jayshree well despite it being a strong character played by Vandana Pathak in the series originally. As usual, Hansa and Praful steal the show with not only their hilarious lines but also their mannerisms. Supriya Pathak who plays Hansa is easily amongst the finest actors and I’d be disappointed if her performance goes unnoticed at the film awards. Nobody else can make these lines sound so funny but her – “Hello! How are? Khaana Kha Ke Jaana…” or “Hello! This is a Hansa speaking…”

There are not many songs but a romantic number between Himanshu and Parminder stays with you for the way it is shot (silly, of course) and the lyrics that go ‘Chal Chal Bhosle Market Chal…’ The film celebrates stupidity and there is not a single dull moment (caution: if you’re not a Khichdi fan, it may not be the case for you). Whether it is Jayshree’s maid troubles or Hansa’s grand court room performance, Khichdi is a laugh riot.

I hope to see the cast return with a sequel and the producers adapting another of their hit series, Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai for the big screen. While these two are on my wish list, a movie that is certainly coming out is Pankaj Kapur starrer Office Office that traces a common man, Musaddilal’s troubles with bureaucracy and corruption in India.

My rating: * * * ½ Three and a half stars on five

– Shrey Khetarpal