Rating: 3.5/5
Rishi Kapoor and Paresh Rawal together as Sharmaji set the tone in the directorial debut film of Hitesh Bhatia. The film has a good story with mincing characters, making it all a relatable family entertainer.
Sharmaji Namkeen is truly an engaging slice-of-life played by Rishi Kapoor and Paresh Rawal as Brij Gopal Sharma, who wants to enjoy his life after retirement. Two actors in one role do not compel audience at the start, but slowly set the pace with two distinct timings of these actors.
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Plot
Brij Gopal Sharma, aka Sharmaji (Rishi/Paresh), traces his life after retirement as he does not want to sit idle, rekindles his passion for cooking and works as a chef at kitty parties. The story is simple and out there about his expectations from life and odes between his family, an advent of his work life and his retirement crush.
Story/Screenplay/Direction
In his directorial debut, Hitesh Bhatia would have never thought of facing such a challenge. Instead of pondering how to film it, he invested his time in thinking how to present it (two actors playing one character).
After all, it’s not a daily soap drama to watch another actor playing Gopi Bahu. It is rarely found in films and is challenging to deal with, but kudos to his efforts for managing and giving justice to both the actors’ presence on-screen.
The first few minutes in the beginning took a back seat to the shuffle of Kapoor and Rawal as Sharmaji in between scenes, but as the scenes unfolded and the desire to explore something arose, the character of Sharmaji drifted into scenes.
There seemed a balance of the character with warm and grumpy Kapoor playing Sharmaji, who was a caring father and fitted the role and then there was Rawal, who was annoying and friendly man.
Supratik Sen co-wrote the screenplay with Bhatia. The scenes in the film are entertaining, filled with fresh andaaz and writers did their best to make it namkeen.
The simplicity of this film is what keeps you hooked. The loneliness of a retired man who is also a widower finds comfort with a bunch of ladies celebrating their choices and Sharmaji’s children who want something else from life and from him – that’s when the most powerful line of the film comes – “Main jaisa hoon… waisa hoon… Mujhe kisi ki permission lene ki zarurat nahi hai”.
Performances
It may look a bit uneasy to watch two actors who were never together on screen still slay with their performances. The energy as two different actors was difficult to match, as Rawal had a sharp expression over there, Kapoor was warm and innocent, but who said you still can’t enjoy their performances?
The best part about Paresh Rawal as Sharmaji was that he didn’t try to fit into the role of Rishi Kapoor as Sharmaji, but instead portrayed the character left by Rishi Kapoor. It was simply a treat to watch such dynamic actors (never together) on-screen.
Juhi Chawla as Veena Manchanda was beautiful, along with Sheeba Chaddha (Manju Gulati) and Ayesha Raza (Rupali Dhingra). It’s been a long time since we have seen Juhi on screen, and she still charms the audience with her smile and style. Suhail Nayyar as Sandeep aka Rinku Sharma, and Taaruk Raina as Vincy Sharma were equally good.
Overall
A film with a convincing story like this is indeed a great choice in all aspects of filmmaking. The acting and casting of the film is strong, with some really good dialogues and drama.
Direction of the film must be a talking point and the director must be lauded for this. The aestheticism of shooting a Delhi life in rich Delhi ki galliyan (Delhi alleys) adds to the film’s appeal.
Released on March 31, Excel Entertainment produced Sharmaji Namkeen is available on Amazon Prime.
Published By: Manan Khuran
Edited By: Khushi Thakur
