Firangi is directed by Rajiv Dhingra, who has a couple of Punjabi films behind him. This is his first foray into Hindi-language cinema. Of course, language is no barrier for him. The raw material is. And so is the treatment. He just doesn't seem to be able to decide if his film is an out-and-out comedy, a satirical take on the impact of the Raj on common Indians, or a romance that blooms across an intractable ideological divide. Firangi might have been harmless fun if only it had stopped short of running so hopelessly amok.
The trouble with this mildly engaging film, with a solid supporting cast, is that it is far too long. Sharma is serviceable as a young Punjabi munda, making eyes at a blushing Sargi (Dutta). The setting, meant to be the 1920s, is all created on set, but you do initially manage to ignore the carefully crafted mud huts, because the language spoken is real, the gidda is homespun; as are the costumes.But it goes on and on. And on. Post interval, it slows down and begins to grate, even when the in-awe-of-the-'firangi'-hero comes to his own proud 'desi' roots.
One thing's clear. With his second outing in the movies, Kapil Sharma wants to desperately drive home a point that he has no interest in milking his comic talent in the movies. While it's a ballsy move for a successful comedian to explore other genres, the question is, are his fans ready for it and can he do it convincingly? Not really, when he wears one expression (lack of interest) on his face, throughout the film.
On the whole, due to its weak script and lack of comedy FIRANGI fails to leave a lasting impression. Besides this, the long run time of 161 mins will leave the audiences impatient and restless. At the box office, the film will face an uphill task of enticing the audiences, given the lack of buzz surrounding the film.
