Khatta Meetha

Ashok Kumar is the father of four sons, and Pearl Padamsee is a mother of two sons, and a rather overweight and emotional daughter. When David proposes that they marry each other - which they do - chaos results.

Add to this we have Deven Verma, who is simply anxious, to the point of an obsession, to get married to any girl, and he not only keeps on pestering his poor mom, Piloo Wadia, but his co-workers, his acquaintances, and al. Kishore Kumar's "Mommy O Mommy tu kab saas banegi, Mommy O mommy tu kab saas banegi..." (O Mother mine when will you become a mother-in-law...)is simply hilarious, and must be seen to be believed. A must-see movie for the entire family.

The song from Koyla - Tanhai Tanhai Tanhai, dono ko paas le aayi has it's original tune here in the BGM of this film. Yes, Rajesh Roshan gave the music for both the films. This song suits for this film's story too.

The film starts with the typical grown up children don't care for their single parent. It goes on for a while and is boring for a bit. Rohit Shetty copied this part for one of his Golmaal series where grown up children do not like their parent getting married again.

Anyway, once the families get together, it gets better. But it's the climax that takes the cake. Well written and obviously well acted specially by Ashok, Padmasee & Deven Verma.

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Khatta Meetha is one of those movies that you simply enjoy. It is not a movie that has to be understood or deeply ruminated about. It is one of those movies which were a part of the uncomplicated movies made in the 70s in India.

The movie has its share of emotions and comedy. They mix with each other and do not launch an attack on your sensibilities, cinematic or otherwise.

Some of the best comic work, I have ever seen, especially from Preeti Ganguly, the real life daughter of Ashok Kumar. Her fantasy sequences of getting married with Amitabh Bachhan (dressed as a Parsee, no less) are to be seen to be believed! Another scene worth remembering is her "Kheer" sequence with Master Raju.

There is a typical rich-girl-poor-boy track that runs parallel to the main movie, and a lesser director would have taken the movie in a tangent, but it is so well woven in the main track, that it actually complements the whole effort.

The song "Thoda Hain Thode Ki Zaroorat Hai" (We have little and we need little else..) is beautiful, probably in the top 10 works of Kishoreda. The title track is good. One song, "Mummy..O..Mummy" is hilarious. Others are forgettable.

Review By Kamal K

Simplicity is the one word that amply describes this timeless classic. Ashok Kumar, Pearl Padamsee, Rakesh Roshan, Bindiya Goswami, Deven Varma, Preeti Ganguli and David all deliver understated and natural performances in a very Desi remake of 'Yours, Mine and Ours'.

Ashok Kumar is a factory worker and widower who has four sons, Master Raju being the youngest. Pearl Padamsee has two sons, one of whom is Rakesh Roshan the 'hero' and one oversized daughter, Preeti Ganguli. For reasons of pure economic practicality, the two decide to marry. What ensues is chaos, with the seven 'kids' fighting over rooms, bathroom and everything else. The sweet college romance between Rakesh Roshan and Bindiya Goswami is at the root of all the obstacles that are created for this unlikely family by Goswami's father, played by yesteryear star Pradeep. How the family surmounts the hurdles and becomes close is of course the theme. The poignant and powerful dialog delivered by Ashok Kumar in one of the last scenes is the crux of the film.

Thoda hai, Mummy oh mummy, Ron ron bokonisa, songs woven subtly into the plot are completely unforgettable. Deven Varma and Preeti Ganguli provide a non slapstick comic strain. It is a movie that makes you laugh out loud and cry unabashedly. Everything about it is gentle and sweet. It is a quiet portrait of a lower middle income Parsi family.

70's Bollywood was the era of such purely good movies one could take the entire family to watch without the slightest hesitation. There are so many lessons in subtlety and sheer goodness that today's cinema can learn from that genre of films. Not to mention the refreshing absence of crass vulgarity, scantily clad women and lewd humor that we have to live with through any film today.

Khatta Meetha - a truly tasty treat.

This movie has a potential to change your entire perception of the art. It's a very simple movie - there is no drama, no action, no over-the-top heroism.

While the movie does have a certain theme, the most of it is only about the average people from the middle class family and how they deal with the tricky circumstances. Yes, like any other movies or stories, this too has a midpoint but it hasn't done in an overly intensed manner. It's a proof that you can keep things simple and still create a masterpiece. Not only the story is wonderfully told but it also resonates with us.

I would like to recommend this movie to anyone. This is very different from any other typical Bollywood movie.