Review : Khosla ka ghosla

Rating : Very good (4.2/5)
Genre : Comedy / Drama
Year : 2006
Running time : 2 hours 10 minutes
Director : Dibakar Banerjee
Cast : Anupam Kher, Kiran Joneja, Parvin Dabbas, Boman Irani, Ranvir Shourie, Tara Sharma, Navin Nischol, Vinay Pathak

Khosla ka ghosla : A treat to watch !


Dibakar Banerjee directs his first film like a pro. It doesn’t hurt to have accomplished actors like Kher and Irani in it either. A tight narrative and good screenplay round off the perfect 10. Although this is more of a drama than a comedy (which is what I was expecting), it does lace a serious subject with humor.

Kamal Kishore Khosla (Kher) is the typical mild-mannered, service-class patriarch, with 2 sons and a daughter. While his eldest Bunty (Shourie) has turned into a non-working wastrel, his younger son Cherry (Dabbas) is a computer engineer secretly planning on moving to the US. Khosla, who’s about to retire, dreams of making a bigger home, and for this buys a plot from property dealer Vijayender. However when he arrives for the bhoomi-pujan with family in tow, he finds that his land has been encroached upon by notorious land-grabber Kishen Khurana (Irani), who’s built a wall around the plot, and placed goons to ward off the Khoslas.

When Khosla requests the land back, he is told to pay up. Refusal, and attempts to get help from the police, NGO’s , politicians, and hired goons, land him in jail at powerful Khurana’s instigation. Dis-illusioned, Khosla resigns himself to the loss of his life’s savings, which he’s sunk into the purchase of the plot. There seems no way to win this un-just war . . .

Kher as Khosla is superb as always; you expect nothing less from him. However, the real scene stealer is Boman Irani who delivers a great performance playing a nouveau-rich, corrupt, land-shark. Wearing typical, “shiny” clothing, a thick gold chain, and slicked-back hair, Irani exudes kamina-pan (there’s no other word for it). Then there is Ranvir Shourie (of The Great Indian Comedy Show), who is the quintessential Delhi boy, sponging off his Dad, and spitting out local Delhi-speak like “shagird”, “bhuliyo mat”. Dabbas, best known for “Monsoon Wedding” – he was also in “Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye”, underplays his character wonder-fully, a studious go-by-the-books kind of guy, wishing to distance himself from middle-class sentimentality. Tara Sharma (of “Page 3” fame) as Megha, Cherry’s friend who-wishes-to-be-more, does good, even with her raspy voice. Vinay Pathak (also of “The Great Indian Comedy Show” fame – he also appeared in “Water”) as the street-smart visa-handler Iqbal Asif, who’s helping Cherry with America-bound plans is fantastic, even in a minor role. The rest of the cast with smaller roles, are very good too.

KKG stands tall on it’s 3 legs, a strong script, great screenplay, and an out-standing cast. Background music is used effectively in the film, although there are no real “songs” in the film, save one – a rollicking Punjabi number. The story is a take-off on many true happenings, since I’ve heard of many cases of land-grabbing, and tenants usurping rented property in the context of Delhi’s out-dated land-laws and ridiculous justice system. And the tug at the heart is because Khosla so eloquently represents the common, middle-class man, so mindful of right and wrong, yet helpless in the face of a corrupt system, to regain what is rightfully his.

The verdict : a must-watch.