Khichdi - The Movie

October 2, 2010

Directed by - Aatish Kapadia

Starring - Supriya Pathak, Anang Desai, Rajeev Mehta, Girish Sahdev, Nimisha Vakharia, Kesar Majethia, Markand Soni ...

Khichdi - The Movie is a fun-ride that tickles your funny bone from start to end. Do visit this mad Indian family and get thoroughly entertained.
I must admit, I am no couch potato. I find it difficult to stay glued to television for hours, surfing channels randomly. Perhaps, that's one of the reasons why I never watched an episode of this hugely popular TV show called KHICHDI. But, of course, I had heard of its popularity, about its comic quotient, about the zany characters...

KHICHDI - THE MOVIE borrows the characters from the show, but the movie has a new story to offer. In the West, popular shows are adapted on the big screen, but the trend is in nascent stages here. For someone like me, who was absolutely clueless about what to expect from the big screen adaptation, I'd say KHICHDI - THE MOVIE vacillates between absurd and ridiculous, but the fact remains that it makes you laugh at most times. KHICHDI - THE MOVIE may not push the envelope as far as the written material is concerned, but you exit the auditorium with a radiant smile, which most laughathons promise, but don't deliver.
Final word? I haven't laughed as much in weeks as much I did in those 2 hours. Do pay a visit to this mad family if laughter is what you seek in a movie. This khichdi is appetizing, for sure.

Hansa's [Supriya Pathak] brother Himanshu [J.D.] has a ridiculous ambition: to have a memorable, legendary love story. Parminder [Kirti Kulhari], Himanshu's neighbour, falls in love with Himanshu for no logical reason and the two get engaged to get married. That's when this ridiculous story takes a ridiculous turn. Himanshu realizes on the eve of the wedding that the impending ceremony would mean impending doom to his desire to have a legendary love story. For, nothing interesting ever happened in his love story to make it memorable.

No resistance, no conflict, no separation, no sad song, no climax, nothing. So the dumb family sets out to stall the wedding. Thus begins their journey to create all those missing stages in Himanshu's love story in order to make it legendary.
Even if you're clueless about the characters in the story - like I was - it doesn't take time to know that the family has its brains in its knees. At the very outset, the Almighty [Satish Shah, in a cameo] arrives at the doorstep to distribute akal ke laddoos, but the family will have none of it. From this point onwards, the characters get into weird and outlandish situations and the humour gets bizarre and wacky.

There's hardly any serious moment in the film. Humour has been injected even in serious situations, like the death of a parent [Supriya and J.D.'s father] and the condolence meet thereafter, where a parody of 'Beedi Jalaile' and 'Bheege Honth Tere' are rendered for the grieving family members.

However, writer-director Aatish Kapadia's screenplay has its share of potholes. The love story isn't convincing at all. Also, the crime angle [the suicide portions] doesn't cut ice. However, the courtroom sequence in the climax salvages the show and is, in fact, the highpoint of the enterprise. The entire sequence is so funny that you've to see it to believe it. It's nothing short of a mirthquake!

Aatish Kapadia, the writer may not be in complete form, but Aatish Kapadia, the director knows his job well. His choice of actors, who've the right comic timing, comes handy at most times. Also, like I said, his handling of the courtroom sequence especially is noteworthy. Music is a sore point, but I am not complaining. I was not expecting musical gems either. Sanjay Jadhav's cinematography is full of vibrant colors.

Every actor works in tandem with each other, instead of trying to have a game of one-upmanship and that's what makes every single character stand out. Supriya Pathak is splendid. Anang Desai is top notch. Rajeev Mehta [as Supriya's husband] is fantastic. Nimisha Vakharia is first-rate. J.D. is excellent. Kirti Kulhari looks good. Girish and Keith are alright. Kesar Majethia and Markand Soni are cute. Farah Khan, Satish Shah, Deven Bhojani and Paresh Ganatra are lovely in cameo appearances.

On the whole, KHICHDI - THE MOVIE is a fun-ride that tickles your funny bone from start to end. Do visit this mad Indian family and get thoroughly entertained. Logic be damned, laughter is what matters. This one's a great stress buster!