Khosla Ka Ghosla Review {2/5} & Review Rating
In this era of big-budget extravaganzas, films that reflect the simple joys of life have suddenly taken a backseat. Films that follow the Hrishikesh Mukherjee/Basu Chatterjee cinema are as good as extinct. But once in a while comes a film that strikes a chord due to its simplistic and unadulterated entertainment. The emphasis is not on paraphernalia like special effects or opulent sets as much as on content.
KHOSLA KA GHOSLA is one such film.
The prime reason why KHOSLA KA GHOSLA works is because you come across characters depicted in the film in everyday life. The setting [middle class family] makes it a slice of life episode, the plotline [land grabbing] is identifiable and the characters, believable. KHOSLA KA GHOSLA reiterates the fact that a simple story, well told, has the power to keep you focused to the screen for the next two hours.
KHOSLA KA GHOSLA gets filmy in the latter half, you do feel that writer Jaideep Sahni and director Dibakar Banerjee could've stuck to realism. In fact, the film loses the sparkle towards the middle of the second hour. But you don't grudge it simply because you can't get hardcore realistic in the cinematic format while trying to find a solution for land usurping cases.
All said, KHOSLA KA GHOSLA is eminently watchable for various reasons. An honest effort, this one's an ideal tribute to the Hrishikesh Mukherjee cinema that has got eclipsed behind all the glitz and glamour of multi-crore budgets.
The dream of every middle class man is to own a house. K.K. Khosla [Anupam Kher] is no different. On retirement, he invests his entire life's earnings into a plot of land to build his dream house. Only to be cheated by a corrupt, greedy Khurana [Boman Irani], who usurps the land that belongs to Khosla.
Khosla's family joins hands to pull off a scam on the biggest goon in the property business.
The first thing that catches your eye in KHOSLA KA GHOSLA is the assorted characters. If the head of the family nurses an ambition to make a kothi with his hard-earned earnings, the elder son is looking at a career in the U.S., while the younger is still aimless. On the other side of the fence is a land shark, who encroaches on others' land. Then there are the estate agents who are hand-in-glove with such crooks. Really, there's not one unbelievable character in the entire film.
Besides the life-like characters, the humor injected at regular intervals keeps the interest alive. The dilemma of a middle class family and the deteriorating human values are depicted with utmost honesty. The helplessness of the common man is highlighted most effectively at three levels -- first, when he realizes that his plot has been encroached upon, then, wonder of wonders, the lawful owner is put behind bars for trying to use force against the encroachers and later, when he's asked for a ransom by the land shark.
But the narrative dips when the middle class family takes the help of stage actors to free the land. The modus operandi of planting an actor as a Dubai-based entrepreneur holds your attention at the start [Navin Nischol's first scene with Boman Irani is remarkable], but isn't believable in latter portions. In fact, the film gets formulaic in the latter reels as the middle class family successfully cons the scamster.
The best of ideas evaporate into thin air if entrusted to inept people. Fortunately, debutante director Dibakar Banerjee knows what he's talking about. In fact, it's hard to believe that KHOSLA KA GHOSLA has been helmed by a first-timer. The drama keeps you engrossed and the performances by each and every member of the cast are sparkling.
Jaideep Sahni's script is almost flawless. You may tend to disagree with the route Khosla's family adopts to get the land back, but you can't deny that the overall material is powerful. There's no scope for music in the film, but the promotional video ['Chak De Phattey'] has already caught on in a big way and will only add to the popularity of the film.
Although every performance in the film is faultless, KHOSLA KA GHOSLA actually belongs to two impeccable performers -- Anupam Kher and Boman Irani. Anupam is tremendous and portrays the victim with flourish. This performance is in league with SAARANSH, DADDY and MAINE GANDHI KO NAHIN MAARA. Boman is fantastic. Right from his appearance to mannerisms to dialect, Boman is wonderful. In fact, after MUNNABHAI M.B.B.S., this is another performance Boman will be best remembered for.
Parvin Dabas stands out in a role that suits him well. Tara Sharma does justice to her character. Ranveer Shorey is brilliant. He is sure to win accolades for this role. Kiran Juneja is able. Navin Nischol is adequate. Vinay Pathak is first-rate. The actor enacting the role of an estate agent is equally good.
On the whole, KHOSLA KA GHOSLA is a well scripted and executed film that is sure to stand out in the crowd. At the box-office, the film should fare very well at multiplexes of big centres mainly.
