Director: Aatish Kapadia
Cast: Rajeev Mehta, Supriya Pathak, Anang Desai, Vandana Pathak, Jamnadas Majethia, Kirti Kulhari, and others.
Where: In theatres near you
Rating: 2 stars
Khichdi 2: Mission Paanthukistan begins with the roller coaster ride of the Parekh family in a plane with Pratik Gandhi [guest appearance] driving this madcap family as their pilot. Their jokes turn him crazy. What happens to the pilot and how they reach "Thukistaan", what documentary film are they planning to shoot there while playing different roles in this documentary film taking the audiences through a journey forms the crux of the story.
While experiencing this journey they serve various jokes to the audiences. Its story with comical jokes created with our daily spoken language, Mission Paanthukistan brings back the Parekh Family on the celluloid with mistaken identities and humorous uproar.
The Parikh family travelling to the Swiss Alps, battling villains and dancing to Bollywood-style songs –especially the romantic song of Kirti Kulhari and Jamnadas Majethia- desperately trying to make it hilarious indeed fails to create that magic on the screen.
Rajeev Mehta's incredible metamorphosis into an emperor, chock full with an outstanding beard, a mustache, and royal clothing fails to ignite that thrill element. The Parikh family takes on a mission on a worldwide scale but it looks like they have shot these worldwide locations creating the sets makes it look unworthy of the real locations. Had it been shot in real locations it would have added some more value to the screen.
Hansa Praful Parekh played by Supriya Pathak brings back all the fun and magnetism that audiences may enter the theatres for and she as usual has done a wonderful job with her typical Gujarati accent. Praful Tulsidas Parekh played by Rajeev Mehta, has managed to play both King and Praful excellently showcasing it in his craft. Anang Desai as Babuji, Vandana Pathak as Jayshree, and Jamnadas Majethia as Himanshu all played their parts well in a typical Gujarati loud manner.
Aatish Kapadia's direction does help one and all characters to give their best timings and why not all the actors are well talented. The Captain of the ship has helped all the characters to raise the bar.
All in all the gags are not very fresh and new and nothing over the top. This slapstick comedy despite its touching moments fails to ignite those bouts of laughter. The jokes do not tickle the funny bones at all. We were watching a film amidst merely 20 people in a theatre, not a single laughter could be heard.
The music goes missing as there is nothing much from the musical sphere so the audiences may feel the lack of music as Indian music plays a pivotal role in our films.
The loose screenplay and slow editing needed to be upped to give a better outcome. Low production value especially can be noted in video scenes shot flying high up in the sky and shooting documentaries in film by the actors.
Verdict: The craziness in this despicable journey goes missing in Khichdi 2 Mission Paanthukistan. Gujarati audiences will surely watch this film once as they have a lot of ”Bhaichara” attitude.
