We express our helplessness when nature affects our daily lives be it a storm that flooded our homes or destroyed crops or an earthquake that weakened or brought down a structure. This movie is the story of a man who never gave up who fought against the seemingly impossible even the intangible, due to the love for his family.
Kanji Lalji Mehta is your average family man who ran a shop in Chor Bazaar gully selling Hindu Idols. Contradictory as it may seem he never believed in God, only using people’s beliefs to his advantage by spinning a unique tale behind each of his idols in order to sell them for a higher price. He believed that what he saw & experienced is what the world is about and nothing more. One day his area experienced a minor earthquake leaving only his shop crumbled as a result. He refused to believe what the people around him were telling - that God is showing him a sign of his existence as a result of his mockery. Mr.Mehta rubbishing such words as coincidence heads off to the insurance company to receive the claim for the damage. However his claim was rejected as earthquakes are an Act of God and the company cannot reimburse damages for acts that are non-human in nature. Discouraged yet enthusiastic, Kanji Mehta decided to file a case against God and his representatives on Earth - the temples. He finally found lawyer Hanif Qureshi who agreed to type out the legal documents necessary but told him that he had to fight the case alone due to its complexity and vague nature. Godmen cartels and the insurance company were summoned in court & both couldn’t stop Mr.Mehta from getting the case accepted. However political goons were sent after him as a lot of income would be lost for the cartels if this case gained mileage. Out of nowhere enters Krishna Vasudev Yadav, a man dressed in a modern suit riding a bike who not only saves Mr.Mehta’s life but also stays with him paving the way for his victory each day. Mr.Mehta had no belief in God hence he would not know if something happened by miracle or merely the permutations & combinations of life. Alas everything in this physical world needed tangible evidence which Mr.Mehta didn’t have, hence the court gave him 30 days time to produce such proof. Krishnaji tells him to read The Bhagavad Gita, the Quran & The Bible as all 3 books could give him any answer he sought. Mr.Mehta found that all the books had one statement in common that everything physical is a creation of God who decides its sustainability or destruction. He produces the same in court which the Godmen agree to grudgingly. He then asks the Godmen to reimburse him as they are the self-claimed representatives of God. But just before the verdict Kanji loses consciousness and is admitted comatose in hospital.
A month later Krishna appears in the ICU, cures him of his coma and reveals himself to be the modern day avatar of Lord Krishna. He reveals that the Godmen cartel had agreed to reimburse anyone who was a victim of Act of God, only to plan more profits by donations by announcing that Mr.Mehta is an avatar of God. Kanji & Lord Krishna then travel to a religious convention where Kanji breaks his own statue head, pleading to the public not to idol worship and fall prey to the cartel’s profiteering plans & instead to help those who really need food, clothing & shelter. Lord Krishna happy with what Mr.Mehta has done, vanishes in a gust of wind but not before telling that God is a friend omnipresent in nature. Kanji picks up a peacock feather shaped keychain that Lord Krishna had left behind, but throws it away realising that if he kept it, it would be against the very words he told the public, that God must not be sought in sand & stone.
The acting of all is noteworthy & excellent, specially Paresh Rawal (Kanji Lalji Mehta) & Akshay Kumar (Krishna Vasudev Yadav). Mithun Charaborty left everyone in splits in his portrayal of a cunning yet crazy Godman.This movie has been made from the heart. Its been a long time since a rib-tickling sensible comedy came to Bollywood and I find the moral of the movie very inspiring.