This is the perfect comedy! It has all the hallmarks of the genre. A delightful, optimistic young hero. A tempestuous young heroine. A stiff and prejudiced father. A garrulous uncle. A tough and sentimental aunt. Dopey friends. Misunderstandings. Seemingly unending conflict and a hilarious resolution.
Amol Palekar shines as the hero, Ram. His character is absurdly unrealistic. He is a feckless youth and a devoted nephew and brother. He has a wicked sense of humour and strong religious devotion. He is a brilliant accountant and has a raft of boring opinions of Kabir. He is an incredibly hard worker and yet has a thriving social life. He loves sport more than anything else, but will sacrifice it for a job and for love. Ram is a chameleon, a supreme actor, and Palekar is utterly convincing as each of Ram's altar egos.
The rest of the main cast are equally brilliant. Deven Verma is the best friend a young guy could ask for. Bindiya Goswami has just the right balance of disobedience and daughterly devotion to be utterly charming. Dina Pathak is hilarious as Kamla, the part-time actress who climbs through kitchen windows. And Utpal Dutt is nearly unbeatable as the fierce potential father-in-law, who thinks that only men with moustaches and without hobbies or nicknames have any value in modern India. He reminded me of Walter in Sterne's classic novel "Tristram Shandy," a man of great status and absurd beliefs, but withal extremely likable.
Like all the best comedies, this one takes place in a world just a little bit different from our own. Everyone is flawed, but there is no harm in that. Everyone misunderstands one another, but in the end all difficulties melt in the breeze.
The plot unfolds breezily, and complication piles on complication as Ram's schemes get increasingly involved. I was grinning or laughing the whole way through, and I think you will too. 10/10
Amol Palekar shines as the hero, Ram. His character is absurdly unrealistic. He is a feckless youth and a devoted nephew and brother. He has a wicked sense of humour and strong religious devotion. He is a brilliant accountant and has a raft of boring opinions of Kabir. He is an incredibly hard worker and yet has a thriving social life. He loves sport more than anything else, but will sacrifice it for a job and for love. Ram is a chameleon, a supreme actor, and Palekar is utterly convincing as each of Ram's altar egos.
The rest of the main cast are equally brilliant. Deven Verma is the best friend a young guy could ask for. Bindiya Goswami has just the right balance of disobedience and daughterly devotion to be utterly charming. Dina Pathak is hilarious as Kamla, the part-time actress who climbs through kitchen windows. And Utpal Dutt is nearly unbeatable as the fierce potential father-in-law, who thinks that only men with moustaches and without hobbies or nicknames have any value in modern India. He reminded me of Walter in Sterne's classic novel "Tristram Shandy," a man of great status and absurd beliefs, but withal extremely likable.
Like all the best comedies, this one takes place in a world just a little bit different from our own. Everyone is flawed, but there is no harm in that. Everyone misunderstands one another, but in the end all difficulties melt in the breeze.
The plot unfolds breezily, and complication piles on complication as Ram's schemes get increasingly involved. I was grinning or laughing the whole way through, and I think you will too. 10/10