CHEENI KUM

It was beyond my expectations and I had not set my expectations to the minimum considering the big star cast and an impressive story line. The movie provided the much needed breath from the recently grown stale Bollywood. It was a really ‘Hatke’ movie and a few dialogues may therefore require the discretion of the audience.
The story line as most of you must already know by now goes like this: Amitabh (aged 64) is a chef and owns a restaurant in London, which is ‘the best Indian restaurant of London’! Cheeni Kum is indeed this ‘Buddha’ (Amitabh’s name in the movie) who has a nasty nature and a notorious temper. Tabu’s role was in fact carved out to suit her style and very few people could have done justice to it in a more befitting way (the only actor who could have replaced her according to me is Julia Roberts). She plays a girl (aged 34) who is to the point and has a clear head and a huge attitude, which at times overshadows the tall grace with which the bigB looks out of the silver screen at you.
Food connects the two and the relationship grows stronger with each passing frame but not for a single second did I find the movie dragging, even the songs were refreshing and moved the story along with them. Both the lead roles give the audience a very strong reason to bare the heat and go out in this still intimidating sun (for people of south India, this movie could be a perfect watch for a lazy Sunday with someone ‘special’). The character of the girl bravely faring blood cancer, ‘sexy’ (yes, this is the name of the little, cute girl), needs a special mention. Her shots with Amitabh hang on a perfect balance due to the out of the world performance by the surprisingly talented cherub.
Though the movie is a fun filled one with witty dialogues and a quick humor, I found it addressing quite a lot of issues that plague our society today. Sex, for instance, was discussed very freely in the movie, which, sadly, is still a stigma in India. ‘Chatri’ (the Hindi euphemism for condom) was the theme of a few scenes and the audience was informed about all its flavors: chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, etc… lol. The Indian style of living was compared with the western style and a few dogmas were ridiculed. At the same time, the patriotic characters appreciated their motherland.
The most amazing thing about the movie that strikes you throughout is its simplicity and the ease with which you start to feel comfortable with each character. Paresh Rawal (playing the father of Tabu, six years younger to his son in law) is at his best yet again. Amitabh has proved with this movie that he is indeed the king of Bollywood (whatever may be happening with him in his new career of farming); he has given one of his best ever performances, the real challenge being to express a lot to the lady he loves without being able to say much on her face. As for Tabu, she has proved once again that when it comes to the really challenging roles she can be your best bet!
Do watch the movie if you like lite entertainment !!! I’ll give it 7 out of 10.