Hey Kem Chho London

Phew! For a movie that was supposed to be watched at its Ahmedabad premiere on 1st or if not possible, at its Mumbai premiere on 2nd, I finally watched it on 6th and writing its review now on 8th.

I went to watch a Gujarati flick after a long time. And it was quite an experience. The entry scene of all 3 lead characters was good. I quite liked the cinematography on the whole. Well done Manas Ganguly on that front.

The plot is all about 2 childhood friends, with connected family bonding through their ancestors and how different the life of the 2 boys were. Enter the girl. A common name "Krishna" leads to a lot of confusion, misunderstanding and lots of banter. Enter the same girl again. You know where it's heading! Oh yes, some more confusion, misunderstanding and lots of banter.

The plot isn't something to boast of. But the story certainly feels like it has its heart at the right place. What's cinema after all if it doesn't come with its cinematic liberties!

Editing was crisp, sharp and to the point. Be it the length of the movie or the duration of some scenes, it seemed proper. Kudos to Kaushik Srivastava for it. If I come to dialogues, there were some real good ones. Be it some epic one liners, to some humorous words to some life lessons, there was quite a bit of variety to keep the audience glued. Aseem Arrora and Uroovaak Vora need a mention for this.

Direction by Ssunny Suraani and Ankit Sunil Trivedi seems good as they've put up a story which isn't thoughtful but one which entertains its viewers. It has a good cast, good music and even with the shortfalls in the plot, keeps the audience in it till the end.

Yes, on the whole, it is an average Gujju flick but then, entertainment quotient is surely there. The locations in London, the spirit of the actors and the soul of the makers can be felt while watching the movie.

In every movie, I do tend to find some hidden gems when it comes to actors. Here, there was this character "Soda" which stole the show for me. He doesn't have much screen space, but whatever he has, he surely nails it. Kudos Deep Vaidya. And the fact that he was present with family in the show whilst we were watching was so good.

The performances were good. It was a delight to see Leena Jumani on screen in a Gujju movie. She has done a really good job. The personality of Manas Shah showed on screen. He made his presence felt throughout the movie. Anang Desai and Muni Jha were at the top of their game, just as expected.

It is always a pleasure to go for a movie wherein you watch your first and constant friend on the big screen. To see his journey, to see him perform, to see his success, to see his efforts being finally rewarded gives a satisfaction of an extreme level coz only some of us actually know the kind of struggle it has taken to be where he is.

Yes, I'm talking about Mitra Gadhvi. So loved to see him again on the big screen. That scene wherein he spoke the so called "Kakko" of Gujarati in one go was sheer class. Being a Gadhvi, ye to banta tha boss. Aama to te "Bhaangi Nakhyu, Fodi Nakhyu, Bhookko Kari Nakhyu."

And another dialogue wherein I loved him was when he said:- "Mane Bau J Gamti Ti Yaar E" or something on that front and sat down on the road. He was his natural self in some scenes and seemed like he was performing in some other scenes.

All in all, it was a decent experience and to watch it with closed ones was fun. More so, glad I went for the night show and didn't stay up for India vs Sri Lanka wherein India disappointed again.

Keep up with the good work Gujarati Film Industry. Keep innovating. Audience will appreciate the good work. It can be seen with the kind of crowd the multiplex had for the show i went to. My one liner on the movie:- "London Mein Gujarati Ka Bol Bala Ho Gaya." I would rate the movie 3/5.