Tag: Sharmaji Namkeen

The film sorely lacks drama, interesting twists, and an element of freshness. It trudges along on an even keel. Nevertheless, it is an uncompromising depiction of “the show must go on” attitude to life, while it imbues the screenplay with dignity…reports Troy Rebeiro

Streaming on Prime Video, Duration: 122 minutes, Director: Hitesh Bhatia, Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Juhi Chawla, Suhail Nayyar Taaruk Raina, Satish Kaushik, Sheeba Chaddha, Isha Talwar and Parmeet Sethi, (Rating: **1/2)

One of the characters in the film states, “Baat baat pe senti ho jaate hain”. That is exactly what you experience when you see ‘Sharmaji Namkeen’ — Rishi Kapoor’s posthumous film.

There is nothing new, unusual, or flamboyant about this slice-of-life film, which narrates the tale of Brij Gopal Sharma, a widower with two grown-up sons who finds himself at the crossroads of life when he is laid off from work.

The film begins with a function in the office of Madhuban Home Appliances, where Sharmaji is felicitated for being a sincere and dedicated worker. His boss, Mr Sikka, advises him to enjoy life and have fun. But this is exactly what he cannot do.

After staying at home for four months and 13 days, getting on the nerves of his sons, Rinku and Vincy, Mr Sharma feels the itch to find a purpose in his life.

Being a widower, Sharmaji has been cooking at home. Also, at times, he has been volunteering at religious functions in his locality. So, at the behest of his friend, Mr Chaddha (Satish Kaushik), he takes up a cooking assignment for Mrs Gulati’s (Sheeba Chaddha) kitty party.

Since then, Mr Sharma is the most sought-after cook within Mrs Gulati’s circle of merry friends. How his life evolves thereafter forms the crux of the narrative.

‘Sharmaji Namkeen’ is a light-hearted film, yet it is not easy to sit through, for it is unusually mounted, with two actors playing the same role.

Initially, seeing Paresh Rawal slip into Rishi Kapoor’s shoes seems a bit jarring, but gradually, your mind accepts it. Both share the screen time equally as B.G. Sharma.

The film sorely lacks drama, interesting twists, and an element of freshness. It trudges along on an even keel. Nevertheless, it is an uncompromising depiction of “the show must go on” attitude to life, while it imbues the screenplay with dignity.

Rishi Kapoor and Paresh Rawal are effortless in their performance as Mr B.G. Sharma. They are aptly supported by Suhail Nayyar and Taaruk Raina as Sharma’s sons, Rinku and Vincy. They both are sincere despite their frivolous bro-banter appearing forced and amateurishly staged.

Juhi Chawla as Mrs Gulati’s friend Veena Manchanda, who forms a bond with Sharma, adds a cute layer to the narrative, but does not elevate the story.

Parmeet Sethi as Veena’s brother-in-law, Robbie, the Mayor of Delhi, is charming but does not add much heft to the role.

The rest of the cast in supporting roles are mostly natural, but at times they are dramatic and over-the-top. They have their moments of on-screen glory.

Mounted with mediocre production values the film will certainly have a limited appeal. Those who can make it through are going to cherish the film for Rishi Kapoor and the film’s core values.

ALSO READ-‘They both are amazing performers and they made our lives easier’

Rishi Kapoor played Brij Mohan Sharma, a widower laid off from his job who discovers (and so does an admiring world) his talent for cooking. Other veteran actors… writes Durga Chakravarty

From gorging on lip-smacking samosas to heart-shaped cutlets among many other mouth-watering delicacies, ‘

‘ is a film that makes one hungrier, agrees promising young actor and food impresario Sanjay Raina’s son, Taaruk Raina, who got a chance to share screen space with late veteran actor and a “complete foodie” Rishi Kapoor.

Going back in time and recalling the days of shooting for the film, Taaruk, who made his mark in Lionsgate Play’s college life drama ‘Jugaadistan’ and the coming-of-age romantic comedy ‘Mismatched’ (Netflix), fondly reminisced about how the food spread out on the table helped him to connect with the two acclaimed stars of the film — Rishi Kapoor and Paresh Rawal.

“Rishi Kapoorji was a massive foodie. You could talk to him about food for hours. So, I think it helped. Food was the central topic all the time. It made us blend easily,” Taaruk, who plays Vincy Sharma, the Rishi Kapoor character’s son, said.

Rishi Kapoor played Brij Mohan Sharma, a widower laid off from his job who discovers (and so does an admiring world) his talent for cooking. Other veteran actors

Food runs in Taaruk’s DNA. His father, who first gained prominence in the 1990s as an Indipopper, is regarded as one of the finest exponents of Kashmiri cuisine, which he serves at his restaurant Mealability in the heart of Lutyens’s Delhi.

“The film makes you hungrier,” Taaruk recalled about ‘Sharmaji Namkeen’ in his conversation with IANS. “Everything that was shot was so beautifully done. Everything looked so appetising. Food was at the centre of the film. There was a lot of eating on sets. We were eating in almost every scene and there was a lot of food involved.”

For a young and talented actor, though, it was not only the experience of eating a lot of good food that made ‘Sharmaji Namkeen’, which is streaming on Prime Video, so special.

The actor still has to pinch himself to believe that he really got to share screen space with Rishi Kapoor and Paresh Rawal, who completed Kapoor’s role after his death in 2020.

“It was surreal,” Taaruk told IANS. “To be honest, it didn’t seem real when I was doing it. They both are amazing performers and they made our lives easier. They are so experienced and helped us through things.”

The fresh-faced, bright-eyed actor said: “Rishiji was an amazing performer and on the basis of his energy you could become a better version of yourself. Same for Pareshji. He made things so easy for us that we didn’t have to try to do much. It was happening organically.”

The Hitesh Bhatia film does have an “emotional value” for him, Taaruk said. “It was Rishi Kapoor’s last film. So, of course, the film has a massive emotional value, apart from just the journey of the film and the time and effort it took.” Caught between the two Covid-19 lockdowns and Rishi Kapoor’s death, it took more than four years for the film to start streaming.

Taaruk added: “The fact that Pareshji completed the film shows how much emotion went into making it. It was personal to everyone. So, I think that’s why the steps that were taken were taken.”

Was it difficult for a South Delhi guy to imbibe the West Delhi culture, which oozes out of the film? Pat came the reply: “West Delhi isn’t far from where I grew up. It wasn’t very difficult for me, being from Delhi, to adjust to a film which is all about Delhi’s culture.”

And then he added as an afterthought: “I think there’s a bit of West Delhi in all of us. It was fun. It wasn’t far from what I was used to in my life. It wasn’t that difficult.”

Now that the film is streaming, Taaruk can take the liberty of looking back at his creative journey and talking about how ‘Mismatched’ helped him gain recognition.

“After ‘Mismatched’, I got a lot more recognition because the show was a success,” Taaruk said. “That was a big step in my career. It made the most difference. I did it while ‘Sharmaji’ was still incomplete. We started working on the film four and half years ago. It went through so many difficulties and obstacles.”

Taaruk will be seen next on ‘Mismatched’ Season 2, which will also stream on Netflix.

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