Worth a watch once atleast.

Grade: C+

Aloo Chaat

Indian Release Date: 20/03/09
CBFC Classification:  U/A
Running Length: 1 Hour 50 Minutes

Cast: Aftab Shivdasani, Aamna Shariff, Linda Arsenio, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Manoj Pahwa, Dolly Ahluwalia, Meenakshi, Sanjay Mishra
Director: Robby Grewal
Screenplay: Robby Grewal & Divynidhi Sharma
Cinematography: Sanjay Kapoor
Music: RDB, Xulfi, Vipin Sharma, Mehfuz Maruf

"What do you do when your entire family is against the bride of your choice? Do you replace your family? Or do you replace the bride?" With a tagline as such, I must admit I was a bit intrigued. The movie I saw... and I must say the disappointment was minimum.

It is hardly ever you come across a perfect comedy in Indian cinema which is more famous for its mindless genre. It would be a treat, if a film maker could make a comedy set in the real world and try to capture the true humor in daily lives. Although not a perfect comedy, Aloo Chaat is gleefully stirring.

As we mentioned earlier in one of our reviews (Danish’s review of Delhi-6), Delhi seems to be the new Bombay, with most bollywood film makers shifting their base to the capital city. This movie too is set in Delhi in a typical Punjabi household with an authoritative Beeji (Dolly Ahluwalia), a conservative Papaji aka Purshottam (Kulbhushan Kharbanda), the very emotional mother Seeto (Meenakshi), her good-for-nothing conspicuous brother Chhadami (Sanjay Mishra) and an America returned son Nikhil (Aftab Shivdasani). The family has a loyal friend in Hakeem (Manoj Pahwa), a sexologist. Now, the family is already is search for the perfect bride for their foreign return Nikhil, although unaware to them, he is already in love with a very pretty Indian Muslim girl, Aamna (Aamna Shariff), he met in the US. But, as resistant to change the family is, they would never accept an inter-religious marriage & especially not a Muslim girl.

Nikhil with the help of Hakeem Chacha outlines a plan to get the family to like Aamna for who she is rather than a religion. They work on Purushottam's already expressed point of view, of how marrying a 'gori' was rising a level on the cast hierarchy unlike an inter religious marriage that would only descend a person on the social ladder. They get a 'gori mem' - Nikki (Linda Arsenio, previously seen in Kabul Express & Mumbai Salsa) to the household as Nikhil's love interest and to-be-wife. Along with Nikki comes Aamna pretending to be her friend/maid of honor and while Nikki does her best at being arrogant, amoral, bikini clad American, Aamna has to do everything to prove her worth and a lot more by being the perfect Indian wife material. The ordeal is provided with humor by Chhadami, who is constantly in doubt about the true identities of Nikki and Aamna.

The movie is may not be a tasteful comedy, in fact certain sequences in the movie are out-and-out racist and offending, but let’s face it, that is how most Indians are and his movie makes a light satire at that India mentality. The humor in places is, no doubt, immature, but it does a fair job at entertaining its audience. Nothing spectacular from the camera department, although the music did win quite a few hearts.

Final Verdict: Although not necessary to be of everyone’s taste and liking, it can however easily pass off as a onetime watch on a rainy day.

Grade: C+

 

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