Punjabitalkies

Ratings: *****

In the glut of comedies rolling out of Punjabi film industry by the spool,Ksshitij Chaudhary’s Jatts in Golmaal,produced by HM Music,makes the cut with its hilarious dialogues,crazy characters and side-splitting situations. The film picks a rather serious subject plaguing Punjab and gives it a hysterical twist. The lure of dollar dreams and how Punjabis are selling their land to send their children abroad,willing to trade their organs or even stage accidents to pay back loans,the nexus of singers and agents and all the kabootarbaazi that’s still rampant in the state — Jatts in Golmaal presents all this in a much,much lighter vein.

Sunny (Babbar) wants to go to Canada at any cost. So,his folks get in touch with a middleman,find an agent called Jugnu (Ghuggi),sell their land and pack him off with his uncle,(Bhalla) to Chandigarh. Now,Jugnu is in love with the middleman’s daughter,and has to cough up Rs 20 lakh to prove his love for the girl,Khushi (Harpreet Johal). The mafia head,Titoo,(Dhillon) whom Sunny sells his land to,is also in love with Khushi,who runs away with Jugnu. As a result,Jugnu never turns up at the airport,Sunny is stuck with his uncle in Chandigarh,Titoo is looking for a heart donor at any cost,and the chase begins — for the passport,visa,donor and Rs 20 lakh used to fund this entire charade.

It’s a rollercoaster ride,a Rohit Shetty-meets-Priyadarshan kind of comedy. The stars of the film hands down are Ghuggi and Bhalla. Their chemistry and comic timing is unmatched. While Babbar suits the dumb role he was assigned,Sameksha is a fresh addition to the cast. Sharma and Dhillon as mama-bhaanja (uncle-nephew) are entertaining. The film,however,could’ve easily done without the songs,especially a very flat forced item number called Shabbo by Veena Malik.

With distribution across 122 screens in Punjab alone,the film has got a major opening,and its biggest strength is its story,witty dialogues and pace. Writer Nharesh Katuria says,“All I want to do is make people laugh,and my inspiration comes from Jaspal Bhatti’s school of comedy,from old Pakistani comedy plays,from British sitcoms and Hollywood comedies. That’s what is reflected in Jatts in Golmaal.” Katuria has co-written previous Punjabi hits such as Carry on Jatta and Chak de Phatte. Jatts in Golmaal is his first film as an independent writer.

Jatts in Golmaal also saw a red-carpet premiere in the city at DT Cinemas on Thursday,complete with its star cast and the Babbar family (Raj Babbar and Nadira Babbar).