Rishi Kapoor was halfway through filming Sharmaji Namkeen, when he sadly passed away. Instead of canning the film, director Hitesh Bhatia came up with a unique solution for finishing the film. He asked Paresh Rawal to fill-in for Rishi Kapoor. So now you have a film where the central character is played by two actors. This has happened perhaps the first time in India, or anywhere in the world. And the best thing about the film is that it doesn’t let you ponder over who’s better. Rather, you appreciate the fact that you got to witness two brilliant actors giving their own interpretation to a role which teaches you a lot about love, about life.Brij Gopal Sharma (Rishi Kapoor and Paresh Rawal) is a recently retired manager of Madhuban Appliances. He’s grown tired of his retired life within weeks and yearns to engage himself meaningfully. He indulges in various hobbies and in the end decides to pursue his passion for food and becomes a home cook for a group of kitty party ladies. Veena Manchanda (Juhi Chawla), Manju Gulati (Sheeba Chaddha), Aarti Bhatia (Sulagna Panigrahi) and their friends belong to different ages and backgrounds and use the pretext of kitty parties to have a space for themselves away from their families. Soon, he becomes their friend and confidante. They’re okay with sharing their grouses in front of him and he wisely listens more and says less. A bond forms between them and he finds he’s now got purpose in life. But he has hidden his choice from his sons. His elder son Sandeep (Suhail Nayyar) doesn’t accept this change because he feels it isn’t respectable enough while his younger son Vinci (Taaruk Raina), who’s into dance, feels it’s okay for their father to follow his heart. It’s only when Sandeep is rescued from a tough situation, thanks to his father’s contacts, that he opens his eyes to the possibility that life has other colours besides grey.
Retirement almost always feels the end of the line for aged folks. They have been following a set routine for years and suddenly feel redundant. They feel they’re a burden on their families as their value has reduced. They fall into a spiral of depression and find it hard to leap out of it. It becomes harder if you don’t have a life partner to share your autumn years. Our films are more or less youth centric and have neglected to address the issues of senior citizens. Few, like Saaransh, or Baaghban have brought it into the limelight. Sharmaji Namkeen is a wonderful addition to that bouquet. It tells you about the abandonment and loneliness felt by the aged even amidst loving, caring family. They have skills and experience galore and all they need is a way to channelise them positively. The film gives the message that their family should encourage the pensioners to follow their passion, whatever it might be.
The film is a delightful blend of playful comedy and real-life situations. It isn’t overly preachy, nor does it make the kids into villains. It offers you plausible scenarios and asks you to draw your own conclusions about them.
The editing of the film, by Bodhaditya Banerjee, is first rate. The transition from Rishi Kapoor to Paresh Rawal and vice versa in scene after scene is seamless. After a while, the demarcation between the two actors ceases to matter. The only place where you feel a disparity is in their scenes with Juhi Chawla, who, thanks to their longer association in films, shares a better chemistry with Rishi Kapoor, than with Paresh Rawal. The cinematography by Piyush Puty too is excellent and makes you feel you’re actually in Delhi. The production design, costume, and sound design too are good.
The film would have worked with either of the actors but to have two superb actors essaying one role is the icing on the cake. Both have done an excellent job. The angst, the humour, the pain, as well as the joy felt by their character are brought out in full spectrum by both.. You feel emotional by the fact that this was Rishi Kapoor’s last film. He has been getting meaty roles during his second run and was bound for greater things before death cruelly snatched him away. It wouldn’t have been easy for Paresh Rawal to jump into a film midway and yet he attempted that and came through with flying colours.
Satish Kaushik as Sharmaji’s best buddy KK Chaddha, Parmeet Sethi as politician Robbie, or Sheeba Chaddha as dog lover Mrs Gulati, every actor has filled out his or her part effectively. Isha Talwar too is watchable as Sandeep’s supportive girlfriend. Suhail Nayyar and Tarruk Raina are a perfect fit as the caring sons who have let distance set in between them and their father. Juhi Chawla comes as a breath of fresh air in the life of Sharmaji. They become friends, despite their divergent backgrounds, and there’s a hint of a romance between the two. Juhi is as bubbly, as effervescent as ever as she was in the ’90s and is a treat to watch.
Watch the film for its message and to see two actors on the top of their craft essaying the same characters and making you root for it…
from filmfares
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