5 Punjabi Family Entertainers for your great evenings together. (Articles on Cinema by Bobby Sing)

Light, comic family entertainers have repeatedly given Punjabi Cinema its much awaited box office successes and here are the 5 most appreciated ventures that are sure to lighten up your evenings spent with the family together.
 

As a refreshing and enjoyable family entertainer this has a novel subject to offer and a strong local connect featuring the two neighboring states of Haryana and Punjab. Based on the plot of a young man asked to marry a dog before he marries the girl in order to get rid of his ‘Kundli-Dosh’, the film thoughtfully comments upon the widely spread superstitions in our Indian marriages. And has a fresh flavor of two regional languages (Hariyanvi and Punjabi) resulting in a fairly good, light-hearted comic satire.

 

As a unique feature VEKH BARAATAAN CHALIYAAN has the Hindi films veteran Govind Namdev and famous television star Kavita Kaushik making their debuts in Punjabi cinema. And we have Kavita playing a Hariyanvi girl, excelling yet again post her hugely famous portrayal of a Hariyanvi cop in the serial FIR. One of those few films featuring Binnu Dhillon in the lead, making the best use of the opportunity given along with Karamjit Anmol.

 

Playing it pretty safe Gipyy Grewal (writer-actor-producer), Baljit Singh Deo (cinematographer-director) and Rana Ranbir (dialogues) together come up with a Punjabi Marriage coverage with almost no storyline like a typical regional version of the cult HUM AAPKE HAIN KAUN (minus too many songs). Though revolving around a too thin plot, the film still works for a majority of viewers entertaining them with a bunch of comedy sequences, double meaning dialogues, a few over-the-top funny characters, a couple of catchy songs and the usual romantic drama, exactly giving you the feeling of a Punjabi film produced by Karan Johar.

(Though personally it didnt work for me, but it still might be liked by many because of its clean family and comedy based content)

 

This is a Hrishikesh Mukherjee kind of clean family comedy featuring Nirmal Rishi in a terrific form, reminding you of her good old days of LAUNG DA LISHKARA in the mid-80s. The veteran actor simply nails it to perfection and one cannot even imagine the film spelling a similar magic without her powerful screen presence, impeccable dialogue delivery and amazing comic timing. Based on a simple, predictable plot of mixed-up identities, this takes you back to the era of Hrishi Da films, which certainly is a big compliment for the team unarguably.

 

Another gem from the makers of ANGREJ, this is again a period family drama that straight away wins your heart with its unique plot focusing on 'Saandu /Saadu Comparison', rarely adapted before in a Punjabi project. In regional terms, Saandu/Saadu is the name given to the relation between husbands of two real sisters, who always face comparisons in every culture, region or community. The title BAMBUKAT is a lovable name given to a bike or motorcycle in the local Punjabi slang that becomes the main crux of the film with a historical reference. A worth watching entertainer making a strong comment over the social status/caste/colour and other discrimination still widely practiced in the region, along with the theme of ‘a suppressed underdog’, that mostly works in Indian cinema making an instant connect.

 

Unexpectedly coming from a new Anees Bazmee, this is a clean family comedy from the director who was earlier dealing with only crime, guns, gangsters, the other woman and all mature content in his majority of projects. Besides here he presents a film talking about three Punjabi families and their various characters like a typical Punjabi film forcibly made in Hindi. Though made on the ages old plot of twin brothers and their mistaken identities, MUBARAKAN truly wins over the viewer with its engaging twists and turns served with hilarious one-liners bringing the house down right till the moving climax. Particularly it’s the subtle undercurrent of emotions in the film that results in an enjoyable family comedy that is sure going to give a real good time to the audience well familiar with the language. As a matter of fact, one can also describe it as an entertaining Rajshri film made in the typical Bazmee style, partially in Punjabi.

 

However for friends, who are more interested in getting an original Punjabi film as the fifth insertion, LOVE PUNJAB can easily be referred as a fine romantic comedy deserving its place in the list.
 

(The article also got featured in UC-News mobile app in August 2017)