Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi

Primarily promoted as a comedy, SHIRIN FARHAD KI TOH NIKAL PADI serves the purpose pretty well in its first half. It does make you smile, laugh and even embarrasses the viewer in a funny manner with its few sequences related with Boman's undergarments shop. So one feels like being fairly entertained in its initial reels but post interval it simply becomes a jumble of both good and bad moments which are not able to entertain the viewer in the same manner as successfully done by its first half.

Now the major reason of this sliding down remains its easily predictable plot which loses the grip once the audiences know that what is going to happen next. Till they don't have the clue about its basic storyline, they enjoy it thoroughly. But once it moves down to the same ages old path, the film fails to deliver and is not able to make any kind of major impact on the viewer. Moreover the absurd sequences towards the end, like the father waking up from the coma and the gas trouble faced by an old man really put you off and one loses his interest in watching it further.

Here the point which needs to be raised is that, when Indian Viewers are ready to accept new concepts and ideas as proved by many recent hits, then what's the need of ruining a good movie by inserting the same old twists & turns leading towards a typical Hindi film climax unnecessarily? Bela's first venture here is undoubtedly a fine attempt by a debutant made on an unusual subject but why she hesitated to tackle it differently in its second half remains questionable. Either she had no faith in her target audience or she simply bowed down to the commercial elements involved in film business today as it seems. But whatever be the reason, she really missed the opportunity of making a fine film unarguably.

SFKTNP also catches your instant attention due to its surprising cast featuring Boman Irani and Farah Khan as its leading couple in love. However out of the two, Boman once again scores the maximum with a worth watching performance of a middle aged lonely Parsi looking for his lady love from years. Farha Khan on the other hand, looks exactly like her character on screen, performs well and entertains confidently in her first lead role as an actress. Yet I also felt as if she was doing it too casually taking it just like a fun assignment for a change. At times she is a complete natural but in some scenes it seems like she really doesn't care about the end result on the screen. In the supporting cast both Daisy Irani and Shammi Aunty are simply adorable and make their presence felt throughout.

Musically, the film could have easily done with only its fine title song being repeated in the background. But as per the Hindi film routine it does have few average tracks which sadly don't impress or move the story further. Cinematography and Background score just supports the movie's theme as required but dialogues don't really work when the writers try to be over funny in few sequences of its second half.

Coming to the title of this review mentioning an Oscar winner movie, the Bhansali banner continues with their decades old trend of making inspired films borrowing the basic plot of their script from a World Classic. This time its Delbert Mann's directed MARTY (Black & White) released in 1955 which also won the Academy Award for THE BEST MOVIE due to its honest portrayal of a lonely middle aged man looking for a life partner. In MARTY too there is man with a heavy built up, who is fast passing through his 30s and is yet not able to find his perfect life partner for various reasons. He lives with his mother and wishes to buy the shop he is currently working in as a salesman. The film also has the characters of his aunt and a friend who keep pushing him for getting married fast. And when he meets the right lady, he goes through a character transformation within days, which remains the main focus of this realistic classic featuring Ernest Borgnine in the lead.

Admittedly SFKTNP is not a blatant version of MARTY as you might be thinking. But it does take its basic elements from the same, changes the settings to PARSI characters and then adds all the Hindi Film gimmicks to it in order to make it a spicy dish ready to be served to its Indian viewers starving for something different. In true words, this was again a good choice of subject by SLB films to be presented before us following their own style of film-making. But I really wish Bela had made it more artistically keeping the core essence of the plot intact.

However in its present avatar, (in all possibilities) the Parsi community may not like the movie whole heartedly, as it portrays them more like some eccentric people living their lives in a distinctive manner away from the normal. I personally loved and still remember watching PESTON JEE as one of the best films made around a Parsi character. Plus the recent FERRARI KI SAWAARI was a decent one too. But somehow that decency seems to be lost in this latest flick and I didn't really enjoy the community's portrayal in it at a personal level.

Still for the common viewer, the film can only be rated as an average entertainer which probably would work more when you will be watching it on the channels or Home Video without spending much of your money and efforts.

Watched " SHIRIN FARHAD KI TO NIKAL PADI". It is a nice and sweet film. Director Bela Bhansali Sehgal has proved herself that she can handle a sensitive film. This movie is a fine blend of humor and emotion. There are few scenes where you have to laugh like mad. Story by Mr. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is good. Screenplay is also good. Dialogues are impressive. Music is also soothing , lyrics supports the music very well. Performance wise Boman Irani, he is such a fine actor that you can't turn your look to another one. . Surprisingly debutant Farha Khan is also fine and good. Daisy Irani as mother of Farhad does well. Rest actors support well. First look and trailer were indicating the strength and freshness of the movie. It will be a slow starter but gradually it should grow up by positive mouth publicity. Good for multiplex audience. Happy to watch it.

For me, movies should be judged by whether it fulfils your expectations. It doesn't matter if films like Bodyguard or Ek Tha Tiger or Ra. One break records. If you promise say, an action movie, you should deliver it. Shirin..does deliver. Its a sweet simple store. Decent acting, great humour and some meaningful (though occasionally stretched) drama. Expect a good gentle flick, and there would be no disappointment. Both Boman and Farah are good, with able support by everyone else. Its just the songs that seem unwanted at places. Overall, quite a watchable fare. Quite a welcome change from all the meaningless masala stuff Bollywood is churning out these days! Go for it :)

It's a rare occasion when Bollywood decides to junk those six pack, rock solid abs, and that shapely hour glass, proportional figure, from its leading characters, with superstars idolized by millions cast as lovers and setting the stage for an incredible love story, for something that's more grounded to earth. Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi is that love story about middle aged singles finding each other serendipitously, and falling in love in the process. Without much fan fare, without incredible trips to far flung reaches of the world. Just in and around your neighbourhood, when you least expected.

Boman Irani is probably best known by most for his role as the principal in 3 Idiots, and he's arguably just about being one of the best character actors in Bollywood, despite having to usually play someone's dad in his movies because he's middle age. Here he reclaims the leading role as Farhad, the singleton who's way past mid life, and constantly being egged on by those in the family, either with love or being mocked at, to get hitched. It's just that he doesn't have much luck at the romantic front, and his job as a salesman / consultant at Tem Tem's Bra and Panties Shop, doesn't endear him to the opposite sex who are looking for a partner with a more glamorous job to boast about.

But his honesty is just about that primary trait he exudes, coupled with that filial piety that's overlooked, with Daisy Irani and Shammi playing his mother and grandmother respectively, almost always threatening to steal the show with their comical timing and personifying the loveliness in a zany household, ribbing Farhad for this single ways, yet eager that he soon finds a soulmate after failed attempts at variations in matchmaking. But the expanded household sometimes got in the way especially with its rather feeble attempts at jokes, such as an Uncle's probable Alzheimer's induced infatuation with Indira Ghandhi, that may be cute in the beginning, but got a little bit tired when it stayed past its welcome in the narrative.

Still, the revelation here is Farah Khan. Yes, THE Farah Khan, who had masterfully choreographed item numbers in countless of Indian films, as well as turning into a filmmaker, being in the director's chair for films such as Main Hoon Na, Om Shanti Om and Tees Maar Khan, the latter which I enjoyed even if it got ravaged by most. She goes in front of the camera as the spinster Shirin, who got amused by her first encounter with Farhad at the Tem Tem shop, before as the story would have it, like Romeo and Juliet, become his only love sprung from whom he should have hated, being responsible for ordering the demolition of an illegal water tank that Farhad's dad had installed in his family home. This sets up for the perennial war between the would be daughter-in-law with her potential mother-in-law, if the blessings to get married do come.

Being the rookie actress, her rawness does get noticed, but somehow this was somewhat refreshing, rather than the countless of flawless performances put in by the Bollywood idols that put them too high up on the pedestal. Director Bela Bhansali Sehgal had worked the chemistry and pairing between Boman Irani and Farah Khan to wonders, and their starring opposite each other in many courtship scenes, while expected in its development, turned out as what would be best thing about the movie. Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi is as simple as it can get in storytelling terms, with the director applying uncomplicated techniques that won't distract the audience, and sometimes, plain vanilla is something that works best, even when the thin story tried its best to stretch itself toward the two hour mark. For a Bollywood film, the songs here didn't quite stick after the end credit rolled, and while Farah Khan does show a knack for dance (for sure, right?), Boman Irani did look a little bit awkward here when required to perform.

And for all the singles out there, with paunch, belly and all, perhaps this romantic comedy will provide that glimmer of hope that all is not lost. It addresses the constant pressures one may get from well meaning family members, even drawing upon real world scenarios such as the protection of one's clan or turf through population numbers, without which some heritage would be lost. Or addressing the habit of judging someone at face value, or profession, and drawing all sorts of conclusions from it. A lingerie salesman you say? I'm sure some would jump at the opportunity without hesitation!

'Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi' is a cute film, but a tad predictable, as well. However, Boman Irani steals the show with a heartfelt performance!

'Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi' Synopsis: Two middle aged unmarried people find love & decide to settle down.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Story has its share of cute moments. The romance between its middle-aged protagonists touches your heart & the dialogue, also, are sweet. But, the second-hour is dragging. Also, this ideally should've been a song less film. The songs look out of place & add to the film's stilted pace.

Bela Bhansali's Direction is simple. Cinematography is picture-perfect. Editing needed more crispness.

Performance-Wise: Boman is the lifeline of the enterprise. He's wonderful. Farah Khan's raw performance is satisfactory, as her character demands the brashness. Daisy Irani irritates. Shammi Aunty is simply adorable. Kavin Dave is fantastic in a brief role.

On the whole, despite its flaws, watch it for Boman's act.