It’s time for a healthy diet folks! After a rather serious *Nishabd, *which the audiences couldn’t really digest very well, Big B is back in director R Balakrishnan’s surprise recipe that has all the essential ingredients with a dash of realism, a pinch of salt, a canful of bold attitude, a speckle full of flirting, a teaspoon of Gandhiism, a squeeze of lemony romance, a portion of charm and a glass full of sophistication. Oh and no sugar please! Its already a very sweet film!
Cheeni Kum is mainly based in London with Buddha(Amitabh Bachchan) running a top restaurant serving the finest Indian cuisine in the world. He is a perfectionist in his culinary and his staff has a few jokers that keep you entertained while the focus shifts from the kitchen to . ahem…… Tabu. What begins with a complaint about the food served at the restaurant, turns into a charming romance after the two have had their share of taunts, regrets, denials, missed opportunities and those tiny moments that we had once upon a time experienced sometime in school or in the early years of college when we liked someone of the opposite sex. Only that there is an age difference of 30 years between the two here. But the story moves on so smoothly and so playfully, that you forget about that aspect altogether until Buddha has to go to Delhi to talk to Tabu’s father about their relationship. Paresh Rawal, a supposed follower of Gandhi’s principles, on his very first meeting with Buddha, keeps discussing age related issues to embarrass the already nervous Buddha. This complicates his life but gives us all a hearty laugh……
The movie is light hearted entertainment throughout with witty humour that isn’t about being loud and silly. It is sophisticated in that sense and its humour comes out of situations and the characters’ wit rather than forced dialogues and outrageous scenes. Behind all of this, lie some deep and true philosophies too that are preached by the little girl who is oddly named ‘sexy’ by her loved ones. She has performed brilliantly and if a child could play a grown up’s role, she could be the one!
Amitabh Bachchan has delivered a classy performance after quite sometime. The role was almost tailormade for him and he simply went on living it naturally. His best scene is when he is annoyed at the salesman at the medical store who called him ‘chacha’. That is Big B at his best!
Tabu is graceful, beautiful, mature and completely herself in the film. She does not seem to play any role because she looks so much at ease with her role. Her dialogue delivery seems like she is actually talking to a friend or father.
Paresh Rawal, although with a short role, does well to stand guard against Big B. His expressions convey his emotions perfectly in all of his scenes and that is very conspicious for the keen eyed viewer.
A couple of songs play in the background and they are soothing enough for the situations. Sophisticated witty comedy with a different plot which doesn’t preach or reflect the society’s happenings but just gives us an odd couple in odd circumstances. There is no flaw with the film in any of its aspects and director Balakrishnan has done a splendid job at serving a delicious platter of entertainment that was much needed in a year of more serious films. Cheeni Kum is a fun watch and a definite recommendation.
- 9.21 on a scale of 1-10.