Toaster Review {3.0/5} & Review Rating
Star Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Sanya Malhotra
Director: Vivek Daschaudary
Toaster Movie Review Synopsis:
TOASTER is the story of a man in trouble. Ramakant (Rajkummar Rao) lives with his wife Shilpa (Sanya Malhotra) in Shanti Shraddha Society, a residential complex mostly inhabited by senior citizens. Ramakant is a tenant there, and his landlady is the lovely Dsouza aunty (Seema Pahwa). Ramakant owns a perfume shop and, though he is doing fairly well, he is a big miser. A protégé of Shilpa’s mentor, Guru ji (Karamveer Choudhary), is about to get married, and she compels Ramakant to buy an expensive gift. Much against his wishes, they buy a toaster worth Rs. 4,999 and gift it to the newlywed couple. The next day, Ramakant learns that the wedding has been called off after the groom is caught cheating. Ramakant meets Guru ji and asks him to return the toaster he had gifted. Guru ji is shocked and kicks him out of his house. However, he does inform Ramakant that he donated all the wedding gifts to a nearby orphanage. Ramakant then decides to head to the orphanage to get the toaster back. On the other hand, a man named Glen (Abhishek Banerjee) secretly records a political leader, Amol Amre (Jitendra Joshi), in a compromising position with two foreign women. Glen blackmails Amol for money and, in a strange turn of events, Ramakant gets involved in this messy affair thanks to his quest to get back his toaster. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Toaster Movie Story Review:
Parveez Shaikh's story is very amusing. Parveez Shaikh, Akshat Ghildial and Anagh Mukherjee's screenplay is well thought of and enhances the plot in hand. However, the writing goes astray in the second half. Akshat Ghildial's dialogues are one of the USPs of the film. Most of the one-liners land effectively.
Vivek Daschaudary’s direction is impressive, especially considering that this is his directorial debut. Filmmakers often falter while handling subjects that walk a thin line between funny and bizarre, but Vivek manages this balance with precision. Hence, despite the protagonist’s shocking actions, one doesn’t mind as they are executed effectively. Moreover, many viewers might even relate to the protagonist’s justification for wanting to save money. Meanwhile, the track involving a druggie blackmailing a neta, and the miser getting dragged into the chaos, adds to the fun.
On the flipside, the film loses some grip in the second half as a particular character becomes central to the narrative. This character’s track begins on an unexpected note but gradually fails to leave the same impact as the amusing moments in the first half. Moreover, the delusional aspect of this character, and the fact that this person imagines things needed more polish in the writing. The climax fight is just about passable and could have been executed and conceived better.
Toaster Movie Review Performances:
There can never be a bad Rajkummar Rao performance and he proves it yet again. He plays his part with utmost sincerity and that contributes a lot to the funny quotient. Sanya Malhotra also gets to display her histrionics and delivers yet another memorable act. Abhishek Banerjee leaves a huge mark and gets into the skin of his character. Jitendra Joshi raises laughs. Archana Puran Singh (Pherwani aunty) is unrecognizable at first and is the surprise of the film. However, she’s let down a bit by the writing. Upendra Limaye (Inspector Balagode), as expected, rocks the show. Seema Pahwa is decent in a small role. Vinod Rawat (Guddu) is fair. Karamveer Choudhary and the actors playing Gadgetary staffer and Inspector Kavita Salunkhe are passable. Farah Khan (Nandini) is hilarious in a cameo.
Toaster movie music and other technical aspects:
Aman Pant's music is weak and ideally, the film could have been a song-less affair. The dance number during the end credit is well picturized but the song is not memorable. Aman Pant's background score is in sync with the film’s quirky nature.
Jishu Bhattacharjee's cinematography is satisfactory. Mayur Sharma's production design is a bit theatrical but it works for the film. Sheetal Sharma's costumes are realistic and over the top for a particular character as per the requirement. Aejaz Gulab's action is fine while Chandrashekhar Prajapati's editing is slick.
Toaster Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, TOASTER is a quirky entertainer that benefits greatly from its unusual plot and Rajkummar Rao’s thoroughly enjoyable performance. Despite a weaker second half, the film has enough amusing moments and eccentricity to keep one invested. It is the kind of film that can find its audience and prove to be a success on OTT.
