Cast: Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani, Ritvik SahoreDirected by Rajesh Mapuskar
Rating: 2.5/5
Films like these are rare. If you evaluate ‘Ferrari Ki Sawaari’ with the usual metrics set for comedies, it lacks everything that would get a film distributer to bounce his belly or seduce an audience member to shell a chunk of his weekend budget on a multiplex ticket. No Bollywood A-listers, no comedy of errors where people get seriously injured, double meaning jokes- absent. And it doesn’t even have a story that’s compelling enough when you narrate it. But if this film does craft anything with delicious enthusiasm, it has to be the amiable characters that manage to hassle you with their problems and allow you to relish their joys as if they were your own.
The film takes us into the unremarkable life of this Parsi family comprising three generations of men. Grandpa Deboo or Mota baba (Boman Irani) is grumpier than the average grumpy person of his age and is perpetually plopped in front of the TV set. His son Rusy/ Rustom (Sharman Joshi) is an annoyingly righteous version of Ned Flanders (if this was possible?), only minus the green sweater and the combed mane and moustache. The youngest and perhaps the only uncaricatured member of this family is Rustom’s 12 year-old budding cricketer son, Kayo (Ritvik Sahore). Now, how this family manages to get involved with Italy’s automotive pride is a long-winding story best left to be seen on the screen. In a sentence, the film is about Rustom and Mota Baba’s journey in trying to fund Kayo’s cricket camp at the Lords. But apart from this larger basic plot, the sub-plots and tiny parallel stories interest, engage and make you postpone your washroom visit.
Some of the most delightful scenes in the film are short-lived but enough to experience the suggested emotion. One of them would be the scene where Kayo peeks into his grandpa’s room just after learning about his glorious past. It’s a tiny scene with no dialogues but it speaks volumes about the new-found love, respect and admiration that is visible in Kayo’s eyes.
The film wins for being simplistic and devoid of forced complications. But it is this same merit that could be seen as a minus as many could perceive the film to be too straight-laced and without a personality. But ‘Ferrari Ki Sawaari’ should be regarded for the very fact that it dares to do just that without worrying about how it would be perceived or sold or acknowledged. A simple story told simply by characters who can’t spell ‘complex’ but manage to get you to sit up and empathize with them.
This may not be Sharman’s most challenging role till date and it just needed him to sellotape a generous smile for most scenes and wet his cheeks for the other high-powered dramatic scenes. Having said that, a lot did weigh on him as he is, in every way, the lead star here and in that regard, he did display his pearliest whites and uncorked his tear glands to cause minor floods. But this film wouldn’t be half the film it is if it wasn’t for the rock solid supporting cast. For Boman, playing a middle-aged Parsi who is cynical about life and everything else was pretty much like it would be for Tendulkar to play a gully cricket match with infants. Effortless and flawless in equal measure. A special mention needs to go for the characters playing Sachin Tendulkar’s housekeeper and watchman. They were both equally sharp in setting the mood and momentum in many scenes that would otherwise be unspectacular and bland.
Raju Hirani’s dialogues may not be memorable enough to be used in impressions but they manage to convey his inimitable wit. Director Rajesh Mapuskar makes a sparkling and soulful debut and scores for his ability to optimally contain scenes in a manner that they don’t spill over. Pretty much like the song- ‘If you come today…’
If we can’t appreciate a film for being ‘simple’, 'soulful' and ‘straightforward’, it says a lot about how we’ve become as people. Definitely not the sort who can be described by the adjectives used for the film above. Evolution, no thank you.
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