Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi

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.

Watched " SHIRIN FARHAD KI TO NIKAL PADI". It is a nice and sweet film. Director Bela Bhansali Sehgal has proved herself that she can handle a sensitive film. This movie is a fine blend of humor and emotion. There are few scenes where you have to laugh like mad. Story by Mr. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is good. Screenplay is also good. Dialogues are impressive. Music is also soothing , lyrics supports the music very well. Performance wise Boman Irani, he is such a fine actor that you can't turn your look to another one. . Surprisingly debutant Farha Khan is also fine and good. Daisy Irani as mother of Farhad does well. Rest actors support well. First look and trailer were indicating the strength and freshness of the movie. It will be a slow starter but gradually it should grow up by positive mouth publicity. Good for multiplex audience. Happy to watch it.

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.

It's a crazy ride guaranteed to leave you grinning as you leave the cinema. That makes it worth a watch.

The biggest flaw is the lack of a well thought out central conflict, still it's enjoyable.

Farah Khan is best when she's not acting, her persona suiting the role. S ehgal's film seems a lot better than it is due to the performance of the two actors and the chemistry between them.

On the whole, Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi is a simple, unfussy and heartfelt movie that hits the right notes.

The film supports the fact that no one is too old to fall in love.

Truly, this wonderful love story has no expiry date.

Recommended!

A quote from sonam's tweeter Twitter Buzz @sonamakapoor: Best of luck for shirin farhad @TheFarahKhan ! From the buzz that's going around btown..Its gonna be great!

For me, movies should be judged by whether it fulfils your expectations. It doesn't matter if films like Bodyguard or Ek Tha Tiger or Ra. One break records. If you promise say, an action movie, you should deliver it. Shirin..does deliver. Its a sweet simple store. Decent acting, great humour and some meaningful (though occasionally stretched) drama. Expect a good gentle flick, and there would be no disappointment. Both Boman and Farah are good, with able support by everyone else. Its just the songs that seem unwanted at places. Overall, quite a watchable fare. Quite a welcome change from all the meaningless masala stuff Bollywood is churning out these days! Go for it :)