Without having any notion about what the movie will be, I decided to watch this movie. Turns out, this movie is one of the most stupid family courtroom dramas you will see on screen.
The plot revolves around Guruji (Paresh Rawal) and his wife Urmila (Neena Kulkarni) who are now in full parenting mode taking care of their grandchild Yaman a.k.a. Momoji. Yaman's parents and Guruji's younger son and daughter-in-law Malhar (Shiv Pandit) and Mallika (Mimi Chakraborty) are working parents who can give little time and attention to their kid. They visit their son on weekends. Things take a turn when they decide to relocate to the US and express a wish to take Yaman back with them. This leads to a legal battle between a father and a son to take guardianship of Yaman.
Now this is where you should stop reading if you haven't seen the movie yet and come back later to ponder on what I have to say.
SPOLIERS AHEAD
While the movie tries to dissect the dynamics of a father-son relationship, the plot and the characters are not etched out right.
Paresh Rawal's character of Guruji stick to traditional Indian parenting style but his character is quite egoistic and borderline narcisstic. The plot indicates that he has already failed being an ideal father twice but he still believes his style of parenting is superior. Guruji's elder son dies of cardiac arrest (due to stress) and his younger son Malhar is weak, lack confidence and trembles physically when speaking his mind. Guruji is unsympathetic to both his sons only because he loves them so much that he doesn't want them to leave. Guruji also has a notion that an ideal father is the one who keeps his job. However, Guruji is highlighted as a beacon of ideal father. It is he who decides to go to the court and not the son. As an audience, should we sympathize with Guruji or feel disgusted?
Neena Kulkarni's Urmila character is of a grandmother who takes control of Yaman over his mother. She is equally indirectly responsible in the frustration and the subsequent heart condition of her elder son as she hides his passport putting an end to his dreams of going abroad. She is unwilling at first to give away Yaman to his mother, Mallika, even when she pleads. It clearly looks like she has hijacked a mother-son relationship to fill in her loneliness. Throughout the movie she constantly nags about how ill-responsible Mallika was as Yaman was suffering from high fever when he was only 3 months old. However, her character being a mother twice fails to understand that Mallika is a first-time parent/mother. For many first-time mothers/parents, things are overwhelming and these mothers/parents learn through experience. If you label a mother or a parent as a Bad Parent only because their kid falls sick, I believe all parents in the world then fall into the bad parent category.
Mimi Chakraborty's character of Mallika is another weird one. She wants to be desperately with her son but doesn't at the same time. She appreciates the help she receives from her in-laws but she never steps her foot down to claim her son back. She is fiercely professional, independent and strong to outsiders, but she is meek and timid at home. She can rant a monologue on a dinner table but she cannot do the same in court.
Manoj Joshi's character of Pinku Uncle who is a close friend of Guruji and his advocate, personally believes the grandparents should lead their lives independently as he does. On a call outside a roadside shack, he drives away his son from coming to India because he believes that the next generation only uses grandparents as nannies. He also calls Guruji - dedicated aayaa. However, he is supporting Guruji's case of keeping his grandson and becoming his guardian. Technically, his character is nothing short of a hypocrite.
K. K. Raina's character of judge is the laziest judge adjourning and stretching the case for no reason.
Apart from these badly written characters, the plot has loopholes the size of a manhole.
Firstly, the case makes no sense. In the words of Amruta Subhash's character this case should have be dismissed immediately.
Secondly, both the parents are capable and physically fit. Even if the father is unemployed and is a social drinker, the court never considers that mother too is a part of that party.
Third, the court never calls Mallika to the front and ask for her opinion but the judge believes ke bacche se poochna chahiye kyonki bacche ki khushi ka sawaal hain. What about maa ki khushi? The case and the drama only focuses on the father-son legal ego clash and never takes into consideration the wants of the mother of the child, which is so critical to the case. Even when Mallika is seen in the final court scene, the judge doesn't even bother to ask her opinion on all this.
Manoj Joshi's various debate points about what Malhar eats at a prayer meeting, veg and non-veg are not relatable to the core point but just personal remarks to assasinate his character. This dilutes the entire courtroom drama debate and deviates from the main topic only to stir up some emotions.
Lekin, Adalat emotions per nahi facts per chalti hain and that is where this family courtroom drama falters spectacularly.
The plot revolves around Guruji (Paresh Rawal) and his wife Urmila (Neena Kulkarni) who are now in full parenting mode taking care of their grandchild Yaman a.k.a. Momoji. Yaman's parents and Guruji's younger son and daughter-in-law Malhar (Shiv Pandit) and Mallika (Mimi Chakraborty) are working parents who can give little time and attention to their kid. They visit their son on weekends. Things take a turn when they decide to relocate to the US and express a wish to take Yaman back with them. This leads to a legal battle between a father and a son to take guardianship of Yaman.
Now this is where you should stop reading if you haven't seen the movie yet and come back later to ponder on what I have to say.
SPOLIERS AHEAD
While the movie tries to dissect the dynamics of a father-son relationship, the plot and the characters are not etched out right.
Paresh Rawal's character of Guruji stick to traditional Indian parenting style but his character is quite egoistic and borderline narcisstic. The plot indicates that he has already failed being an ideal father twice but he still believes his style of parenting is superior. Guruji's elder son dies of cardiac arrest (due to stress) and his younger son Malhar is weak, lack confidence and trembles physically when speaking his mind. Guruji is unsympathetic to both his sons only because he loves them so much that he doesn't want them to leave. Guruji also has a notion that an ideal father is the one who keeps his job. However, Guruji is highlighted as a beacon of ideal father. It is he who decides to go to the court and not the son. As an audience, should we sympathize with Guruji or feel disgusted?
Neena Kulkarni's Urmila character is of a grandmother who takes control of Yaman over his mother. She is equally indirectly responsible in the frustration and the subsequent heart condition of her elder son as she hides his passport putting an end to his dreams of going abroad. She is unwilling at first to give away Yaman to his mother, Mallika, even when she pleads. It clearly looks like she has hijacked a mother-son relationship to fill in her loneliness. Throughout the movie she constantly nags about how ill-responsible Mallika was as Yaman was suffering from high fever when he was only 3 months old. However, her character being a mother twice fails to understand that Mallika is a first-time parent/mother. For many first-time mothers/parents, things are overwhelming and these mothers/parents learn through experience. If you label a mother or a parent as a Bad Parent only because their kid falls sick, I believe all parents in the world then fall into the bad parent category.
Mimi Chakraborty's character of Mallika is another weird one. She wants to be desperately with her son but doesn't at the same time. She appreciates the help she receives from her in-laws but she never steps her foot down to claim her son back. She is fiercely professional, independent and strong to outsiders, but she is meek and timid at home. She can rant a monologue on a dinner table but she cannot do the same in court.
Manoj Joshi's character of Pinku Uncle who is a close friend of Guruji and his advocate, personally believes the grandparents should lead their lives independently as he does. On a call outside a roadside shack, he drives away his son from coming to India because he believes that the next generation only uses grandparents as nannies. He also calls Guruji - dedicated aayaa. However, he is supporting Guruji's case of keeping his grandson and becoming his guardian. Technically, his character is nothing short of a hypocrite.
K. K. Raina's character of judge is the laziest judge adjourning and stretching the case for no reason.
Apart from these badly written characters, the plot has loopholes the size of a manhole.
Firstly, the case makes no sense. In the words of Amruta Subhash's character this case should have be dismissed immediately.
Secondly, both the parents are capable and physically fit. Even if the father is unemployed and is a social drinker, the court never considers that mother too is a part of that party.
Third, the court never calls Mallika to the front and ask for her opinion but the judge believes ke bacche se poochna chahiye kyonki bacche ki khushi ka sawaal hain. What about maa ki khushi? The case and the drama only focuses on the father-son legal ego clash and never takes into consideration the wants of the mother of the child, which is so critical to the case. Even when Mallika is seen in the final court scene, the judge doesn't even bother to ask her opinion on all this.
Manoj Joshi's various debate points about what Malhar eats at a prayer meeting, veg and non-veg are not relatable to the core point but just personal remarks to assasinate his character. This dilutes the entire courtroom drama debate and deviates from the main topic only to stir up some emotions.
Lekin, Adalat emotions per nahi facts per chalti hain and that is where this family courtroom drama falters spectacularly.
Tell Your Friends