Unique recipe
film: SHARMAJI NAMKEEN
Director: Hitesh Bhatia
Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Juhi Chawla, Suhail Nayyar, Isha Talwar, Sheeba Chaddha, Ayesha Raza, Satish Kaushik and Parmeet Sethi
Nonika Singh
The highpoint of Sharmaji Namkeen undeniably is the fact that it is Rishi Kapoor’s swansong and one which, sadly, he could not complete. Rishi, the foodie portraying a man who loves to cook… Perhaps there couldn’t have been a better choice for casting. Alas, the vagaries of life; cancer snatched him from us sooner than we expected.
As his son Ranbir Kapoor reminds us in the beginning in a pre-film message how various alternatives were considered. Finally, the makers zeroed down on the unusual idea of the same character being played by two actors. In walked Paresh Rawal and the film blends the sequences of the two actors seamlessly. One moment you see Paresh Rawal walking up the stage to collect his cheque and bouquet, as he has opted for voluntary retirement. The other moment you have Rishi dishing out perfect egg paranthas.
Sharmaji cooks to kill and in a way the film inverts the idiom, ‘the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.’ Wallowing in postretirement blues, Sharmaji finds his way out of the ennui and into the hearts of the kitty party brigade of women. How he ends up in their kitchens, how he manages to become a star cook and do all this on the sly… Is the essence of the plotline and where much of the drama lies.
Come to think of it, there isn’t much drama in this slice of life film except towards the end. While the camera-work almost makes you smell the aroma of food, it’s a sheer delight to watch Rishi. He is truly in his element; be it the coy look he shares with Juhi Chawla or the manner in which he stands his ground with his elder son Sandeep Sharma (Suhail Nayyar), who clearly doesn’t approve of his father’s culinary digressions.
The way he rolls out paranthas is delectable too. The family scenes, the easy banter between the sons, have a ring of honesty. So is the bonhomie between the kitty club and Sharmaji who is clearly smitten by Veena (Juhi Chawla). Juhi is charming as the widowed entrepreneur. Ditto for Parmeet Sethi. Rawal fits into the shoes of Rishi and after a while you forget which scene was played by which actor, which is the film’s singular triumph. Of course, the top reason for biting into Sharmaji Namkeen remains Rishi whose energetic jig reminds you of his good old days.
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, the sweet-salt dramedy might have a refreshing and relatable feel. However, in the final analysis, it does not move beyond the regular humdrum of life and even Rishi’s affable presence can’t make it a humdinger of a story.
Watchable, nevertheless…
