Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana

I remember, once I had my privilege to taste my uncle's spicy mutton curry. It's been more than a decade…and I am yet to find the secret of the recipe and those lip-smacking flavors again on my taste buds. I am sure, you all have yours favorite too when it comes to the best of recipes, one dies to have.

Debutant director Sameer Sharma's LUV SHUV TEY CHICKEN KHURANA is quite a delicious dish in terms of providing wholesome entertainment for a complete 'Indian at heart' family. It has all the vital ingredients like the most sizzling characters who sure resemble with many in your neighborhood or in the native family, aromatic locales & lingo that take you back to your roots and a perfect mix of mild-peppery-spicy moments; only thing that could make you cringe in your seats, is the preparation time to reach till its finale but trust me on this, the more you wait for the food, the better it gets in taste. You will never regret your precious time spent in waiting.

At his first effort, Sameer Sharma scores big in the impressive 'slice of life' writing and the casting that never falls flat, not for once-not for even in its least significant characters. Besides the competent kunal Kapoor & huma in the lead, its veteran Vinod Nagpal, Rajesh Sharma as titoo mama, Rahul Bagga as jeet who all make it a feel-good watch for everyone in the family. Rush to the restaurants serving it or just wait to try this at home but please have it on your plate

There's not a lot to say here. The title as I've put it says a lot.

The movie is a bit slow (thats my only critique), but worth a watch especially for those who appreciate watching scenes that depict the vast fields & the culture in a typical Punjabi home (open heart, ability to do 'jugaad', luv shuv {as the title suggests}, and wits amongst family members)...in short the typical life of Punjab (filmy style) - all these have been sweetly depicted in the movie.

Further, the overall direction (as I said..surrounding the Punjabi life as has been shown), the music, the performances (though not awesome but good nonetheless) would serve you quite good. The roles I liked were the ones that brought a smile to my face..1. Huma Qureshi in her traditional attire and performing the role of lovely cute doc was something I looked forward to before entering the movie hall and I was not left disappointed. Her Wasseypur timing of dialogues and expressions are still in place and I believe this actress is sure to go long places if she continues that :) 2. Teetu mama..loved his role..won't go into details but lazyness, food & a good heart were some of the characteristics that defined it! 3. Kunal Kapoor - okay a second critique here but a minor one this time..he could have acted a lot better I felt, but you can ignore that understanding he's out back 10 years living in London in the movie and is not habituated to being a typical Punjabi while several things revolve around his mind. 4. The performances of side characters (dadaji, chachi, chacha, bhai, etc) were also good.

Neways..overall, I would reiterate what the title says - its slow but yes..can be classified as a one-time watch, quite simply, for the simplicity and the sweetness depicted in it :)

This is a good simple movie after a long time. This movie gives you some gentle comedy rather than masala type comedy.

The story is of a boy (Kunal Kapoor) who stole money from his Daarji (Vinod Nagpal) and went abroad. After many years he found himself nowhere and was under pressure of a local gang.He came back to India to beg/borrow/steal money from his family again. His Chacha (Rajendra Sehi) was surprised and doubted him for his return. Daarji's Chicken Khurana was known as the best Chicken but unfortunately Daarji lost his memory and he did't even tell anything about the recipe. Kunal was offered 1 crore for this recipe and this was the only hope for his money and future.

Huma Qureshi has given a stellar performance. Kunal Kapoor has given a decent performance but nothing to shout about. Rajendra Sethi as his chacha is outstanding as always. Titu Mama(Rajesh Sharma)is excellent. Other supporting cast has also given their best.

Music adds a lot to this movie. Music by Amiit Trivedi is stellar. The theme music of this movie perfectly suits and the background score is also very good. Songs like Kikli Kalerdi adds some good taste to the movie.

Yes, it also have some cons but generally, we don't get such type of cinema in Bollywood. This Movie is a must watch for everyone.

Before moving on to the review, let me clarify two major points used in the film's promotional campaign by its makers which is bound to give you a slightly wrong idea about the movie altogether.

The first one being the genre of the film which was strongly promoted as a complete comedy or laugh riot on the lines of few earlier hits based on Punjabi themes such as KHOSLA KA GHOSLA, VICKY DONOR and may be OYE LUCKY LUCKY OYE too. Now yes the film is completely based in Punjab and it does have many comic touches coming at regular intervals. But still they are too less to call it a complete comedy as said in its promos. In fact the total comedy punches in the film are not more than what you have already seen in its theatrical trailers. So instead of a pure comedy, it would be better to consider LUV SHUV TEY CHICKEN KHURANA as a light comical film featuring an emotional touch of a Punjabi family and a childhood love story woven around a food theme.

Secondly, coming to the film being called as "The First Food Film of India", yes its name says so and the last hour of its script also revolves around the subject. But again its first half never talks about this basic theme and the "Chicken Khurana" actually comes into existence only in its final hour. Hence if you are willing to watch LSTCK taking it as a great (Punjabi) comedy, then you might not get the same in return. But if you wish to see a decent entertaining film, taking you on a realistic tour of Punjab and its people, then you are sure going to find it largely satisfying in most of the cases.

LSTCK has a nice, cool start straight away moving into a remote village of Punjab from abroad. The first half mainly deals with introducing its various characters with some perfect one liners and well chosen cast by director Sameer Sharma. And due to this superb ensemble of actors performing well on the screen, you don't mind the slow pace before the interval and keep enjoying it despite of having no mention of the actual "Chicken Khurana" in details. In short the film actually starts post intermission when the original creator of the recipe dies without saying a single word and then the leading hero thinks of discovering the dish again with his own efforts.

Hence the whole drama of the film around the 'Secret Dish' unfolds in its final 45 minutes only and not before that. Still the viewer doesn't lose his interest at all because the debutant director successfully manages to keep him hooked in the other entertaining sub-plots of the film which include a childhood love angle, a hidden inter-caste marriage, a rival Dhaba Owner ready to pay anything for the 'Secret Recipe', a lazy relative who doesn't like to work, a psycho don, a fake spiritual guru and an emotional Punjabi family bonding represented with authenticity. Yet, I also found that a few characters could have been exploited more for generating a great comical touch like the Punjabi psycho don, the fake spiritual guru and the rival dhaba owner, especially in its first half.

Having said that, LSTCK actually becomes a decent watch due to its superlative performances from the entire cast lead from the front by Huma Qureshi (of Gangs of Wasseypur fame) and Rajesh Sharma who are both simply outstanding in the film. If truth be told then just take out Rajesh Sharma (as Titu) from the film and see what difference he makes to the overall impact of the project clearly. The exceptional actor remains the central pillar of the script and plays it commendably. Huma once again showcases her hidden talent after GOW and her physical appearance perfectly matches the role she is given.

Kunal Kapoor is pretty decent, underplaying his character well without going overboard. Munish Makhija (as the Don) remains enjoyable and Dolly Ahluwalia (as the fake spiritual guru) is a delight to watch, who ideally deserved a lot more scenes as I felt. Vinod Nagpal(as Khurana) is fine in his silent role and Rajendra Sethi is superb as the emotional uncle and so is Mukesh Chhabra as the budding property dealer. Rahul Bagga impresses being the cousin brother and both Seema Kaushal & Anangsha Biswas are great in their emotional acts. Besides I really enjoyed the few scenes of Vipin Sharma posing as the rival dhaba owner, who performs with perfection.

Another ace in the film is an unconventional yet enjoyable soundtrack by Amit Trivediwhich rightly fits into the exact requirements of the film like a 'T'. One enjoys 'Kikli Kaleer Di' and "Luni Hasi' being played in the background a lot and then wishes to hear them again walking out of the theatre. And the same can be said about the Cinematography and Background Score of the film which strongly make their presence felt as you are watching it.

Summing up LUV SHUV TEY CHICKEN KHURANA is not a great masterpiece made on the similar lines of many previous hits revolving around the Punjabi theme. It surely could have become the one with a better paced first half and more comical punches as expected. But still in the present version, it does turn out to be a nice enjoyable one time watch with a fresh subject, well supported by a superb cast and a catchy musical score.

To be honest, the story isn't the most original story out there. Then why does the film work so well? The music is great.

Titu Mama is the character everyone talks about after they exit the theater and for good reason. He was too funny ! Huma Qureshi is wonderful as Harman, she did really well as a punjabi girl.

Chachi was good too, small role but impact-full. If there is any character in this film who felt perfectly placed in a film like this, it would be her.

Story is not that great and impressive but overall it makes us laugh a bit. Movie gives a light feel and one can enjoy watching these kind of movies.