Sharmaji Namkeen Review: Rishi Kapoor's Final Film Is A Warm And Diverting Au Revoir

Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Juhi Chawla, Satish Kaushik, Suhail Nayyar, Taaruk Raina, Isha Talwar, Sheeba Chadha and Ayesha Raza Mishra 

Director: Hitesh Bhatia

Rating: 3 stars ( out of 5)

Rishi Kapoor's final film is a warm and diverting au revoir to an actor known for bringing great spark and spontaneity to bear upon his roles. That the attributes that set him apart never ever deserted him is evident in Sharmaji Namkeen, out on Amazon Prime Video.

In fact, if anything, Rishi Kapoor had only gotten better with age. In the last ten years or so of his life and career, he was as much at ease playing an intensely committed, crusading pater familias (Mulk) as he was fleshing out a zesty granddad in a dysfunctional family (Kapoor & Sons). He is just as delightfully on the money in Sharmaji Namkeen, a befitting swan song.

Of course, Sharmaji Namkeen isn't just about Rishi Kapoor. Paresh Rawal does a fine job of donning the garb of the titular character, complete with a signature pullover and an overused briefcase, when the actor for whom the role was originally written is not in the frame. The film moves seamlessly from one actor to the other. Yet, Sharmaji Namkeen does not feel 'complete'. The breezy quality that Kapoor imparts to the film wanes just a tad when he isn't on the screen.

In any case, Sharmaji Namkeen elicits suppressed chuckles rather than hearty guffaws. Neither too salty nor overly spicy, it glides along gently in search of a core that can hold it together. But even when the wafer-thin plot does not deliver, Rishi Kapoor does by giving us one last glimpse of his histrionic felicity, blending the comic with the dramatic without breaking a sweat.

The man that he plays in Sharmaji Namkeen, a cheerful family dramedy, bears a degree of resemblance to the troubled patriarchs that he portrayed in Do Dooni Chaar and Rajma Chawal, both comedies with heavy doses of whimsy.

To be precise, in temperamental and behavioural terms the just-retired Subhash Nagar resident Brij Gopal Sharma occupies a space somewhere between the Lajpat Nagar mathematics teacher in Do Dooni Chaar and the ageing businessman grappling with the repercussions of relocating to Chandni Chowk in Rajma Chawal.

Sharmaji Namkeen, produced by Excel Entertainment and MacGuffin Pictures, opens with an emotionally resonant introduction by Ranbir Kapoor that puts Paresh Rawal's participation in the project in context as well as underscore the reasons why this film simply had to see the light of day.

It closes with outtakes featuring Rishi Kapoor with his co-actors over which one of the departed star's most peppy musical numbers - Om Shanti Om from Karz - plays. What the song and the fumbled lines represent is the youthful and vibrant spirit that the actor always seemed to exude.

With its low-key, slice-of-life drama enlivened by a supporting cast that includes Juhi Chawla, Satish Kaushik, Sheeba Chaddha, Ayesha Raza Mishra and Parmeet Sethi, the film is a decent enough watch that does justice to the memory of an actor who would never fail to come alive in front of a movie camera.

Rishi Kapoor's strength lay in the way he, all through his career, thrived on injecting infectious zing into the most ordinary of scenes and set pieces, whether he was doing drama, delivering comedy or simply singing and dancing. Not all of it is showcased in Sharmaji Namkeen. Not that it matters - what is on show in the film is good enough to show us exactly why Rishi Kapoor will be sorely missed.

Having spent his entire working life proudly selling juicers and mixers for a home appliances company and looking after his two sons since the untimely death of his wife, the protagonist is at a loose end when a golden handshake confines him to his home - and kitchen. He is desperate to find something to do to while away his time. His passion for cooking comes in handy.

With a bit of encouragement - and some subterfuge - from lifelong friend and Subhash Nagar neighbour (Satish Kaushik), Sharmaji turns into a home chef and begins to rustle up lip-smacking delicacies on demand for a group of motley kitty-partying women, including one he takes a shine to, Veena (Juhi Chawla), who lost her perfidious doctor-husband in a road mishap and has moved on without the scars showing

His new calling wins Sharmaji instant friends (he plays dumb charades with them) and a ready clientele (who can't stop complimenting him for his culinary acumen) even as it triggers a confrontation with his elder son Sandeep 'Rinku' Sharma (Suhail Nayyar). The father-son flare-up leads to the film's climax in a Palam Vihar police station.

The young man wants to buy a flat in Gurgaon and move out of the cramped West Delhi home ahead of his marriage to Urmi (Isha Talwar), an office colleague. Sharmaji, sentimentally attached to the abode, will have none of it.

Most of the charm inherent in Sharmaji Namkeen, directed by Hitesh Bhatia (who is also the co-scriptwriter with Supratik Sen), flows from the Rishi Kapoor's sprightly presence, with Paresh Rawal doing all he can to keep the energy going. Kapoor's ability to get into the skin of a character is on full display in the film. In a role that is unquestionably up his street, he is a treat to watch.

In what is obviously an unusual experiment, Paresh Rawal steps into the breach in several key scenes, including the crucial climactic ones. But he has extremely large shoes to fill. You cannot but feel that Sharmaji Namkeen would have been a far more enjoyable affair had life given Kapoor the time to see the assignment through.

This, however, is no reflection on Paresh Rawal's ability as an actor. It is just that nobody can play a Delhi dad quite as effectively and effortlessly as Kapoor could. From the middle-class man struggling to make ends meet in Do Dooni Chaar and to a father struggling to reconnect with his son in Chandni Chowk (Rajma Chawal), he transitions to a mid-level corporate functionary forced into voluntary retirement who must quickly find an alternative employment in order to keep ennui at bay.

Watch Sharmaji Namkeen for Rishi Kapoor although he isn't all there is to the film. The actor says in one scene: I am what I am. Beyond an iota of doubt.