Netflix Movie
Directed by : Leena Yadav
Produced by : Leena Yadav, Aseem Bajaj, Gulab Singh Tanwar
Story by : Vivek Anchalia
Starring : Rishi Kapoor, Anirudh Tanwar, Amyra Dastur, Sheeba Chaddha, Aparshakti Khurana, Diksha Juneja
Music by : Hitesh Sonik
Distributed by : Netflix
Year : 2018
The current lock down has present with the opportunity to not just watch the latest and the trending but also pave through those that I always wanted to watch but never really sat down to watch them. Something else that seemed more relevant or important at the time, always seemed to have been looming around. Being at home for such prolonged period gave the wonderful opportunity to revisit them. And one such movie was “Rajma Chawal”. Rajma Chawal is not just a movie, it is truly an ode to Rishi Kapoor and when I watched this movie a few weeks back, I never imagined that he won’t be around for long to keep creating his magic on screen.
The movie is Rishi Kapoor, capturing your interest right from the go and charming you with his acting, his screen presence and perfect timing in terms of comedy or emotion. Well, the rest of the cast does give some wonderful performances to move the story forward. But it was Rishi Kapoor’s movie through and through. Even they knew to make the movie poster right.
The story is about a father moving from South Delhi to Chandi Chowk with his son, having just lost his wife and his business. Rishi Kapoor’s potrayal of a greiving husband and struggling father trying to reach out and be close to his own son, leaving no stones unturned, is hilarious at the same time touching.
Aniruddh Tanwar as the son does give a noteworthy performance and makes a good attempt to portray the various nuances of his character, torn between grieve over losing his mother, to the distance he has with his father, the music he creates and the women he loves, though he still has a long way to go. Amyra Dastur, as the strong, foul-mouthed, strong-headed yet soft female protagonist, does complete justice to her role and actually provides the right dimension to the father-son mix. The names of the wonderful actors who formed the supporting cast itself will prove to be a huge draw. Manu Rishi as Rishi Kapoor’s wrong friend, Sheeba Chaddha as his wife, Aparshakti Khurana as Amyra’s character’s obsessed boyfriend together weave the story beautifully together.
The father impersonating as a girl on social media to get close to his son’s life does calls for a hilarious plot and further twists come when his son actually meets the girl whose photo he uses as his profile picture. The story-line is humorous and entertaining and does give a few good laughs. But there are few moments and plot twists when you would wish for better treatment of the story or portrayed differently. But apart from those hiccups, all in all the movie is a pleasant watch with some funny and some really touching moments.
The beautiful, hilarious and apt portrayal of a conflicted Dilliwala father by one of the most iconic stars of Bollywood will forever remain etched in the mind and heart. If not for anything else, watch the movie to celebrate Rishi Kapoor’s acting, legacy and stardom.
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