Sanjeev Kumar and Raakhee play a middle-aged couple who visit different households in search of dysfunctional couples and play their cards to save their failing marriages and solve all their marital problems. The concept is really unusual for a Hindi film, but it's a light film which works as a nice social comedy with an interesting commentary on marriage, relationships, social class, and caste discrimination. Of course, as a mainstream Hindi film some of these important issues are not dealt with in the right amount of depth required, and it's a little exaggerated here and there, but it works within the context of the film, which is really nice entertainment.
The film focuses on two concurrent episodes where our heroes aim their 'repair project' at two unlikely couples who have probably been married by mistake - a rich guy finds that his bride is an uneducated village woman, and a poor simple guy marries an outgoing, modern woman from a wealthy family who leads a career and is unwilling to succumb to domesticity. Obviously, had the two pairs swapped partners for good, it would have been a perfect match for all. The moral stand here is a little twisted as the problem is interpreted to lie more with the women, but I'm glad no one is seen as a total villain and each one is a product of their upbringing and early environment.
The film's comic tone, mood, and success rests on the charisma of Kumar and Raakhee, who play their roles with a nice touch of humour and vigor. They work so well together (and appear as a duo in almost every scene) it's almost impossible to discuss each performance separately. The cast in general boasts of great names. Deepti Naval plays the innocent, demure wife who's rejected by her rich alcoholic husband, and she's good although this self-victimizing attitude is tough to accept. Rakesh Roshan is okay while Amol Palekar is usually dependable. Sarika is wonderful as she always is, and Lalita Pawar is typically loud, funny and ultimately great.
Shriman Shrimati is enjoyable from start to finish and it addresses nice themes which I wish had been dealt with better or less artificially. The music by Rajesh Roshan is very good in the beautiful voices of Kishore Kumar and the divine Lata Mangeshkar. The conclusion of the story provides some nice realisations on the part of the characters but also presents an unexpected twist where the lead couple explain the reason for their mission in the world. It was made by filmmakers from the south, and I learn that the concept was so successful it was made in other languages as well. I'm not sure this film is to everyone's taste, but I believe it's highly watchable for those fond of Hindi comedies.
