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Introduction –
Once in a while a film is made which reminds us of yesteryear themes, especially those which reflected family values and deep rooted cultural significance; films synonymous with Basu Chatterjee. Sharmaji Namkeen will force you into that era, the period of Choti Si Baat, Khatta Meetha and Baton Baton Mein.
Synopsis –
Brij Gopal Sharma aka Sharmaji ( Played by Rishi Kapoor & Paresh Rawal ) has just retired and within weeks realizes that life can be quite boring without work. He tries to make himself useful by repairing neighbor’s water tank, tweaking house hold things, experimenting with new dishes and watching television. Nonetheless, he fails to find solace. A passionate foodie and a caring father of two sons, Rinku ( Suhail Nayyar ) who has a corporate job and a rich girlfriend Urmi ( Isha Talwar ) and Vincy ( Taruk Raina ) an aspiring dancer and a college student.
His sons love him but want him to take it easy, enjoy life and stop making a fool of himself by experimenting with new professions such as Zumba and real estate broker. It is during these trying times his close confidante, K.K Chaddha ( Satish Kaushik ) offers him a proposal. He tells him that a group of ladies want a cook for a religious gathering. After a lot of heckling, Chaddha convinces Sharmaji. The said gathering is taking place in Mrs. Manju Gulati’s ( Sheeba Chaddha ) house.
It is only after the food is served does Sharmaji realize that it is not a Satsang but a high profile kitty party. The ladies love his food and his demeanor. He is quickly offered another stint at another lady’s house. Sharmaji scampers out of the house without a word.
Sharmaji is angry with Chaddha. He tells him that if his sons discover his secret they will throw him out of the house. However, his friend once again convinces him to take up the cooking assignments with these ladies, and there was no need to tell anything to his sons.
Things move into top gear when the assignments grow and Sharmaji becomes a member of ladies kitty party group. It is here Veena Manchanda ( Juhi Chawla ) enters his life. Sharmaji finds peace and a sense of belonging in these parties and in the company of his new found friends.
Like all good things which come to an end Sharmaji’s little secret bursts one day when one of the videos from the kitty party where Sharmaji is playing dumb charade with the ladies goes viral in several Whatsapp groups.
If that was not enough, Rinku is about to lose a large amount of money in a real-estate scam while Vincy has failed in his exams. Sharmaji Namkeen is all about handling family troubles with love, care and understanding.
Analysis –
Although Sharmaji’s role shuffles between the two actors, there is no doubt that Chintu Ji has beaten Paresh Rawal ( with due respects to this extremely versatile, talented actor ) by a huge margin. After a long time we have encountered a film which ticks all the boxes of film making and commercial success. Performances of other actors ( Juhi Chawla, Sheeba Chaddha, Parmeet Sethi ) is top notch, dialogs super natural while the transition between the two actors seamless. The film could have been even more fun had Rishi Kapoor played the role of Sharmaji in its entirety.
Year of Release – 2022 | Director – Hitesh Bhatia | Writer – Hitesh Bhatia & Supratik Sen | Running Time – 119 Minutes | Availability – Amazon Prime Video