Bhangra Paa Le, Sab Kushal Mangal and Shimla Mirchi are releasing this week.
Bollywood is kicking off 2020 with three releases – Bhangra Paa Le, Sab Kushal Mangal and Shimla Mirchi. And one connecting thread is the element of comedy.
Bhangra Paa Le stars Sunny Kaushal, Rukshar Dhillon and Shriya Pilgaonkar. Directed by debutant Sneha Taurani, the film revolves around a college Bhangra dance competition.
Sab Kushal Mangal, on the other hand, stars Akshaye Khanna and Padmini Kolhapure’s son Priyaank Sharma and Ravi Kishan’s daughter Riva Kishan. The film also has Supriya Pathak, Satish Kaushik and Rakesh Bedi in pivotal roles. Karan Vishwanath Kashyap directorial Sab Kushal Mangal is set in Jharkhand and will have Akshaye playing a small town Bahubali (strongman).
Shimla Mirchi’s trailer dropped recently and garnered mixed reactions. Starring Hema Malini, Rajkummar Rao and Rakut Preet Singh, the film has been in the making for few years and is finally getting a release. Ramesh Sippy directorial Shimla Mirchi is about a single mother and her daughter who fall in love with the same guy.
Indian Express critic Shubra Gupta rated the film 1.5 stars out of 5. In her review, she wrote, “The writers try and stitch together a comic yarn by slinging Pappu, Mandira and Baba into a romantic triangle, but it all comes off as a long, aimless plod.”
Read More | Sab Kushal Mangal movie review: A long, aimless comedy film
“#SabKushalMangalReview: While the film begins on a promising note, #SabKushalMangal drains you at the end of it, despite the actors trying so so so hard to make you giggle even when the gags are weak. #PrashantSinghRathore's editing causes extemporaneous sleep,” user @SinhaSomesh posted on Twitter.
User @SonnalliSeygall tweeted, “#BhangraPaaLe is a fun film which is all hearts. Go watch it guys, you will surely come out with a beautiful smile on your face.Take a bow @SnehaTaurani @sunnykaushal89 @RuksharDhillon”.
"#FinalVerdict: Boringly monotonous! Rating:?? #BhangraPaaLeReview: Producer @RSVPMovies' #BhangraPaaLe lacks in the two vital departments - script and music. This dance stands no chance at the box-office. The film doesn't prompt you to break into bhangra at the end of the show", according to user @SinhaSomesh.
TV actor @ReenaAggarwal shared on Twitter, “#BhangraPaaLe A very Cute and Simple dance film. @SnehaTaurani Very smooth way of storytelling? @sunnykaushal89 You are outstanding ? @VijayGanguly Loved the choreography. Congratulations & best wishes @RonnieScrewvala @RSVPMovies @RuksharDhillon @RameshTaurani @tipsofficial”.
“#FinalVerdict: Painfully unremarkable! Rating:?? #SabKushalMangalReview: Producer @prachinm's @OneUpEntertain's #SabKushalMangal is a brainless story of brainless characters. It seems that director #KaranVishwanathKashyap has made this film for dummies. An unmitigated disaster!”, posted user @SinhaSomesh.
User @bhavikksangghvi rated Shimla Mirchi 3.5 stars out of 5. He tweeted., “@RajkummarRao #ShimlaMirchi A sweet & spicy old-school romance. Rajkummar impresses yet again while Rakul is simply adorable; but its Hemaji who outshines everyone. Rameshji’s direction is simple & touches the emotional chord. Start this year with a little gem of a movie! (3.5??)”.
"Loved your desi and rooted dance, you just lived the role @sunnykaushal89. Perfect portrayal by @RuksharDhillon. My best wishes and congratulations to the director @SnehaTaurani and the entire team of #BhangraPaaLe," actor Viineet Kumar said via Twitter.
Twitter user Anupam Gupta posted, "Ramesh Sippy directed a movie after some 25 years. This movie had no takers for 5 years. And finally released today. Sad at many levels. #ShimlaMirchi"
A dance movie is defined by the quality of choreography. Both Kaushal and Dhillon are good, but the numbers never really leap off the screen. Passable, like the film.
Also Read | Bhangra Paa Le movie review: A passable dance drama
Actor-producer Vivek Vaswani shared on Twitter, "Once upon a time in Bollywood the release of a Ramesh Sippy film in cinemas would have been HUGE, there would have been eagerness & excitement to see the Sholay director’s new venture. But ‘ShimlaMirchi’ has quietly come today in limited screens. Still, all the very best & love!"
(Photo: Varinder Chawla)
Shimla Mirchi actor Hema Malini had earlier told PTI, "It is a sweet comedy and I had fun doing the film. I say yes when interesting roles come up and I thought this part was really nice so I agreed to be a part of it."
Actor Suchitra Krishnamoorthi shared on Twitter, "The maestro #RameshSippy is back with his Super sweet & much fun film #ShimlaMirchi A return to innocence. A return to romance. Bahut Maza aaya ♥?♥?♥? @kiranjoneja @rohansippy @RSACE_Live"
Journalist Meena Iyer posted on Twitter, "Akshaye Khanna as always is superlative in Sab Kushal Mangal #AkshayeKhanna #SabKushalMangal"
Telugu actor Allu Sirish tweeted. "Wishing my ABCD co-star @RuksharDhillon all the best for her debut in Hindi cinema with #BhangraPaaLe. Maybe this be a great start to a long, fulfilling journey. Cheers!"
In Sab Kushal Mangal, Akshaye Khanna will be seen in a negative character on screen. Talking about portraying a negative character, Akshaye told PTI, "The few negative characters I have done, they’re always the parts where that even though they are negative, the audience is still rooting for them over the good guy. That’s in my opinion a good negative character to play because you’re the one who’s entertaining them. So even with this one, the character might be an unscrupulous, Baahubali-type goon and a politician, he is still an endearing and entertaining person."
Also read | I’m a commercial actor: Akshaye Khanna
Vicky Kaushal attended the screening of his brother Sunny Kaushal's next Bhangra Paa Le on Thursday.