Category: Movies

Written and Directed by : Amarjit Singh

Produced by: Binnu Dhillon, Sargun Mehta, Karan Soni, Harsimran Dhillon, GS Dhillon, Navaniat Singh, Achal Kaushal

They say few things are fixed in the stars – one’s birth, one’s death and one’s marriage. When stars decide something, it’s bound to happen. Something like this happens in the life of Lovely, a dusky guy who is constantly ridiculed because of his complexion! Let alone the society, even his own family members don’t leave any opportunity to make fun of his, and as a result, a notion is permanently ingrained into his subconscious mind that he is less worthy than others as far as his chances of finding a life partner are concerned. His confidence is low, but this guy has a soft and kind heart and even better mind.

Not once or twice but many many times, poor Lovely gets rejected by girls and their families because of his dark complexion. The guy doesn’t lose heart, goes to tie a ‘dhaga’ (a ritual to make your request heard by the Almighty) and there he ends up falling in love with a girl, who’s in total contrast of his complexion. Not only this, the girl is already in love with another guy (Jordan Sandhu) who’s much fairer than our Lovely. However, as destiny would have it, somehow, owing to some special case of circumstances, much to Pammi’s chagrin, she ends up getting married to Lovely. From there on, ensues a series of several situations – some of them totally shocking (Pammi’s Suhaag Raat Avatar) while some of them fairly predictable but fun nevertheless.

[h4]Sargun, who apart from looking ethereal in gorgeous Punjabi suits and phulkari dupattas, raises the film to an all-new high with her chutzpah.[/h4]

Film’s first half is really entertaining especially after the entry of Sargun, who apart from looking ethereal in gorgeous Punjabi suits and phulkari dupattas, raises the film to an all-new high with her chutzpah, endearing expressions and unique voice. On one side, her cute chemistry with her best pal, Taaro (Shehnaz Gill) goads one into giggles, on the other Lovely’s attempts to look a shade lighter than jet black with his barber friend add up to the laughter quotient.

The second half which mainly features the post-marriage sequences hasn’t much to offer in terms of storyline as more than 80% of it revolves around just Pal’s wedding preparations, where Pal is hardly visible. A series of repetitive tasks involving Jaggi (Jordan Sandhu) occupy much of the screen space, sending pangs of jealously in Lovely but not adding much to the screenplay. This is where the film drags a bit as there’s not much for the actors to do either apart from giving each other the “looks”.

[h4]The scene wherein Lovely cries while hugging the restaurant guy is probably one of the best in the movie and proves once again, what a terrific actor Binnu Dhillon is.[/h4] 

However, thanks to the terrific acting by the lead pair – Sargun and Binnu – that the movie gets saved from faltering. One enjoys just looking at their facial expressions even when there’s not much happening in the screenplay otherwise. The songs are pretty nice and capable of sending one to an emotional zone. The scene wherein Lovely cries while hugging the restaurant guy is probably one of the best in the movie and proves once again, what a terrific actor Binnu Dhillon is.

If the film suffers a bit owing to its dragged screenplay in the 2^nd half, it is brilliantly redeemed by the climax, which appears strangely fresh despite being similar to the likes of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam or even DDLJ. All the dialogues in the climax scene are thoughtfully written as well. The whole railway station scene is going to make you emotional and you might come out of the cinema hall with moist eyes!

Apart from Binnu Dhillon and Sargun Mehta, all the performances are top-notch. Surprisingly, Shehnaz Gill who makes her acting debut with Kala Shah Kala, manages to make a strong impression with her bubbly acting. Veterans like B.N. Sharma and Nirmal Rishi are once again amazing. Jordan Sandhu should’ve been given something better to do than just serving tea and carrying buckets of food items. Karamjit Anmol and Harby Sangha are first-rate.

Overall, Kala Shah Kala is a complete family movie that other than entertaining you, shall also leave you emotional and perhaps, make you ponder about one issue which has been plaguing our society for ages – that of judging one’s value through one’s colour! A film, which is bound to set the cash registers ringing at the box office, Kala Shah Kala is a winner all the way.

Rating: 3.5/5

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UDA AIDA: A cinematic tour-de-force

I’ve been a fan of Ksshitij Chaudhary and Naresh Kathooria – the famous director-writer duo of Punjabi cinema since Jatts in Golmaal (2013) days. Together these two makers have given us superhit comic films like Mr and Mrs 420 series and Vekh Barataan Challiyaan and had established themselves as two of the best creative personalities of Punjabi cinema that specialize in giving laughter riots.

However, after watching UDA AIDA, my opinion about them has drastically changed! The ones I perceived as being the experts in churning out comic capers one after another, have taken the whole industry by storm by delivering a film that’s likely to be remembered as one of the best films ever made in the history of Punjabi cinema. A masterpiece, a timeless classic, UDA AIDA shall be remembered forever!

A film based on the gradual extinction of Punjabi language from schools and the humiliation one has to go through if one doesn’t know “English” despite their otherwise meritorious distinctions, UDA AIDA showcases the reality of today’s Punjabi generation, their parents and society as a whole. The best part is that it is written in such a mature manner that nowhere does one feel that the film is exaggerating the reality in any way. Nowhere do you feel that the film is unnecessarily trying to assert the importance of Punjabi, or emotionally blackmailing you to feel guilty. The director has handled the subject judiciously, and has nowhere taken any kind of meaningless creative liberties to emphasize his vision. Only a director of the caliber of Ksshitij Chaudhary can accomplish such feat so brilliantly, supported so well by Naresh Kathooria – the writer and one of the producers as well.

Without talking much about the plot, UDA AIDA is a film which doesn’t have your typical ‘hero or heroine’. It is a story of one family and hats off to actors like Neeru Bajwa and Tarsem Jassar for playing the role of parents of about a 10-year-old kid with such elan! The helplessness seen on Neeru and Tarsem’s faces, their faces filled with humiliation when confronted by unforgiving school authorities, the dream in their eyes for their only child, the exhilaration that they experience when their child gets admitted to the school of the mother’s choice after all the struggles – all speak volumes about the massive talent that these two possess. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Neeru displayed a performance of a lifetime with UDA AIDA and she also gave a tight slap to those who make fun of her accented dialogues. Perhaps, one needs a director like Chaudhary to extract such brilliance from their actors.

After Neeru and Tarsem’s chemistry, another one worth mentioning is the one shared between B.N. Sharma and Gurpreet Ghuggi. They make you laugh with their close-to-reality dialogues, nothing slapstick and loud, only situational! I am sure the duo would’ve loved to do something different in this film.

Special mention to all the kids – especially the lead ‘Aman’ (Ansh), who one can’t stop applauding for when he experiences sadness and guilt. Equal praise for the kid who plays his cousin back in village!

Anything worth improving?

I didn’t quite like Poppy Jabbal’s character. While other school staff wore school uniform, she looked as if she had come to a fashion parade – seen wearing minis and jumpsuits mostly, and speaking in English even to villagers, who she knows well are not able to understand her.

Finally, a standing ovation to the producers – Rrupaali Gupta of Friday Russh Motion Pictures, (includes Naresh Kathooria and Ksshitij Chaudhary too) for attempting such a meaningful subject in such a terrific way onscreen. This film is a must-watch for being a family entertainer in actual sense of the word with its ‘content being its king’. Sure-shot blockbuster, UDA AIDA is a film that you can’t afford to miss at any cost.

Rating: 4.5/5

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Rhythm Boyz Entertainment and Hayre Omjee Studios has presented a film that made history before its release itself. Bhajjo Veero Ve which is perhaps one of the first films in Punjab which got released on a Saturday has stood out above most films released this year for the sheer brilliance of its script, tight screenplay, impeccable direction and amazing actors that knew what they were supposed to do!

First thing first : The film besides being the first film on Bachelors of Punjab also shines because of the fact that despite not having the default “set of comedians” among its starcast ends up being a blockbusting comedy simply because its written in a very powerful way. Full points to Amberdeep for coming up with an ‘out-of-the-box’ idea and weaving it so perfectly within a two-hour film. Equal amount of gratitude to the producers for bankrolling a novel idea and presenting it before the audience without having any ‘star’ as a hero. Well, with a reasonably good actor like Amberdeep in the lead and such a stupendous storyline, there wasn’t a need of star in a movie anyways.

That being said, Amberdeep seems to have found his own niche in Punjabi cinema now. He is your hero who who isn’t a star, but an actor. In fact, it’s not just Amberdeep but every actor in the film fits in their character like hand in a glove. The best part is that the heroine – Simi Chahal – also manages to find her strong foothold in a clearly male-dominated film. She isn’t there to just add to the glamour factor! Her role is pivotal to move the story forward and the chirpy actress amuses the audience with her cute expressions and dialogues.

However, the surprise package comes in the form of Guggu Gill – who you’d see in his old-avatar after a long time. Daunting, dignified, so very imposing, Guggu Gill, who turns out to be a bandit ‘Mama’ of our hero, steals the show with not just his physical persona but also leaves a strong impression otherwise.

Overall, Bhajjo Veero Ve is a film that proves that script is the actual hero of the film! A totally ‘hatke’ film, such films should be made more often and encouraged. A Complete family entertainer with wonderful music, it’s a must-watch!

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