Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi

It is a story about 40+ Parsi leads who fall in love during the course of time and how they end up being together despite some parental opposition.

Boman Irani is the one who steals the show with his sincere attempt in infusing life into his character of Farhad Pastakia. The débutante Farah Khan looks very awkward in enacting the role of Shirin Fuggewala. She shall stick to choreographing songs and directing movies. She doesn't seem to be playing her character but just mouthing her lines without much interest. Supporting cast includes - Daisy Irani and Shammi aunty who are very good in their respective roles.

It feels good to see a film completely dedicated to happy-go-lucky, good-hearted but now dwindling Parsi community. Bela Sehgal has cast all real Parsi actors in the movie which gives it an authentic look. But the real problem here is a wafer thin story. The film entertains in parts. There are too many songs clubbed into this 2hr long movie. But I have to say it that this film is a welcome change from now-regular offensive, and juvenile comedies. The film tries to revive that middle of the road cinema once popularized by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Bhattacharya in 70s-80s. But Bhansali could have paid more attention to the story and screenplay, then the film would have been much more enjoyable. There is only one reason to watch this film which is Mr. Boman Irani.. undoubtedly one of the best actors we have in India today.

The film tries to put forward this point bit loudly that love has no expiry date.

Anyways, its a decent, simple Parsi affair.

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.

Boman, a Parsi, is 45. Dominated by his loving mother. Cherished by his grand mom. Is sweet and honest, even explains the truth patiently to a prospective brides family when his mother exaggerates to get the rishta through. Is tired of people belittling his profession, that of a lingerie salesman, despite everyone having to wear underwear. Is hounded by some well- meaning relatives, who ask too many questions and try to run his life.

He gets a shot at romance when he meets and falls for Farah, another Parsi, whom he meets in his shop. She is feisty and straightforward, lives with her comatose father and unwed paternal aunt. She hits it off with Boman, both enjoy a few moments of romance. But soon, thanks to a squabble regarding an ancient tank, Boman is forced to make a choice between Farah and his mom.

The movie is cute, well-acted, clichéd and predictable. It would've been interesting as a short story, but seems stretched as a feature, with the conflict being nothing more than a storm in a teacup, the resolution as obvious as the recipe for a boiled egg. The writing is good, but here the dialogue needed to overcome the threadbare story and the characters needed to be able to surprise you occasionally to ensure interest was maintained. Neither occurs and so the movie remains in the territory of watch, but only with a remote at hand… More at www.apurvbollywood.blogspot.com

'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.

My Mom was pretty eager to watch this movie as it is based on a middle-aged couple; so i finally took the time out yesterday and went to watch this with her instead of the infamous release - Barfi. I liked the trailers pretty much because the story seemed different. So expectations were there for the movie to be good enough. And well, I wasn't disappointed. it is HILARIOUS, a complete laugh-riot. My mother couldn't stop laughing 80% of the time. And neither could I most of the time; and this is coming from a 20-year old who HATES Bollywood humor (which is mostly toilet-humor), so hardly watch any Bollywood comedy (other than Priyadarshan). So you can sense, it is NOT toilet humor and a decent comedy. Boman Irani is fantastic, Farah Khan is really good, the supporting cast worthy too! Just go watch for a light, happy watch. And encourage more such movies to come out. :)