Sunday, November 04, 2012
Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana
Punjabi Tadka
Words from the wise: You want to see a comedy, go see the reissue
of Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron.
Debutant Sameer Sharma’s film
Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana is the
one thing a comedy should not be –laboured.
It’s set in a non-Bollywood Punjab
that’s not all mustard fields and soni
kudis with flying dupattas. But
one set of Punjab clichés is replaced by another. A bunch of loud, crazy
characters and much ado about food.
A flatulent
old man, Daarji (Vinod Nagpal), suffers from memory loss before he can reveal
to his family the secret ingredient to a signature dish—Chicken Khurana. The
family’s dhaba is in trouble unless the ingredient is revealed. A pretty flimsy
premise to base a film on.
The
senior Khurana’s prodigal grandson Omi (Kunal Kapoor), who had stolen from the
family and run off to England, returns because he owes money to a gangster. He comes back with a selfish motive and fake
stories about his success in London, but you can predict that Punjabi
generosity and love will reform the good-for-nothing. Back home are the oddballs—his beleaguered
aunt and uncle (Seema Kaushal-Jitendra Sethi), another nutty uncle Titu (Rajesh
Sharma), wimpy cousin Jeet (Rahul Bagga), Omi’s old flame Harman (Huma Qureshi)
and a godwoman (Dolly Ahluwalia). Jeet is engaged to Harman, but in love with
another. The romance rekindling between Omi and Harman is one
of the better parts of the film, mainly because the actress looks the khaati-peeti type, like she
belongs to the Punjabi pind.
This
kind of one-idea situation needed a lot more spice in the writing, a snappier
pace and much better supporting cast. Of
the lot Rajesh Sharma is the best, and lifts every scene in which he appears.
Kunal Kapoor, whose travails you are supposed to be interested in, has even
less zing than that mystery masala.
Still, Sharma can be commended for attempting a
character-driven comedy, and showing Hindi film viewers a fresh picture of
rural Punjab—there are a few laughs there, but not enough to rush and buy a
pricey multiplex ticket. Amit Trivedi’s
music adds to the cheery mood.
Labels: Cinemaah
