Having a Ball in Southall

CAST: Akshay Kumar,Anushka Sharma,Rishi Kapoor,Dimple Kapadia,Jeneva Talwar

rating: **1/2

Pargat Singh Kahlon is an unlikely name for an Akshay Kumar character. Its triple-barrelledness gives it a heft that’s been missing from Akshay’s past several films,including his last outing with Patiala House director Nikhil Advani. That was that dreadful Chandni Chowk To China in which the hero did neither the place,nor himself,any good. Their new venture,though,is a nice,watchable surprise.

Pargat aka Gattu is the son of the redoubtable Sardar Gurtej Singh (Kapoor),ageing terror of Southall,who believes all goras are evil,and there isn’t anything anyone,including his beloved biwi (Kapadia),can do to change his mind. His large brood lives in Patiala House like scared mice,not daring to raise their voice against the tyranny of a man who refuses to move with the times,not even when his eldest son is given a chance to play cricket for England. Over my dead body,he thunders,and Gattu retires meekly into the anonymity of a corner shop.

With the entrance of perky miss Simran (Sharma) and her cricket-mad younger brother,everything changes. Gattu gears up for a second chance at guts and glory,and his first dibs at a girl. Patiala House is a fine film till then,which brings it neatly up to the interval. The second half sees it slide into slush: drama becomes melodrama,tears are wrung,heart attacks happen,leading to the predictable change of heart,and the big England win,and the Gattu win-win.

Still,there’s enough that’s enjoyable in the film. The writing is smart,the lines are life-like,the characters feel right. The supporting cast is especially good,keeping things moving when the rest threatens to stop in its tracks. The director does a smart thing by keeping the romance between Kumar and Sharma understated,though the former looks uncomfortably older in a couple of scenes. But we overlook this because after a long time we’ve seen Akshay bring something more than a smirk,and a shaved chest,to his part. Nice to have Akshay the actor back,even if his fast-bowling skills are clearly helped along by slick camerawork. (To establish authenticity,there’s a cameo by ex-England captain,the Chennai-born Nasser Hussain,who valiantly speaks a few sentences in Hindi,even.) Equally nice is Kapadia,as the supportive wife and loving mom,in top form. But this film belongs to Rishi Kapoor: as

the khadoos,bloody-minded Sikh patriarch,who’s never had to concede an inch and who finally gives many miles,Kapoor is terrific.