There can be no denial to the fact that Punjabi comedy largely or entirely depends upon dialogues or verbal conversations, instead of funny slapstick sequences to be precise. Hence the moment a team/writer cracks the dialogues perfectly right, half the battle is won and the rest entirely depends upon its fresh storyline, performances, execution and music wooing the audience, always willing to watch a Punjabi comic entertainer.
Keeping the same in mind, LAAVAAN PHERE works well in its dialogues exploiting a key relationship in our typical Indian families, dealing with the son-in-law. And the situation certainly becomes extremely difficult to handle and tricky, when you have not one but three son-in-law, who all should feel equally important together attending a family wedding.
Based on this otherwise thin plot of satisfying three son-in-law in a marriage arranged in Mauritius, LAAVAN PHERE keeps you fairly entertained with an above average mix of old and new gags cracked in its funny one liners and rarely has a boring moment in its progression directed by Smeep Kang.
A big cast ensemble acts well but at the same time the three key performers, the Jeejas - Gurpreet Ghuggi, Karamjit Anmol and Harby Sangha, remain more theatrical in their forced mannerisms and voice modulations throughout.
As a routine, Smeep sticks to his tried and tested formula of beginning with romance, adding the comic plot and then ending with a funny chase sequence involving the entire cast. He does fairly well once again keeping it simple and tight, but as a director must be feeling tired of repeating the same things for years in several films. Both Smeep and his writer Pali Bhupinder Singh have immense unexplored potential to take the Punjabi Cinema ahead given the desired liberty. But it’s a pity that the system/audience doesn’t let them do so and they have to deliver the routine (comedies to be straight), post facing a rejection of their meaningful and praiseworthy effort titled LOCK (an official remake of an outstanding Malayalam thriller SHUTTER)
Sadly, that’s how we kill our own talent without realizing the huge loss.
The lead pair Roshan Prince and Rubina Bajwa are just fine overshadowed by the 3 Jeejas, whereas Smeep himself playing the Chacha looks supremely confident in his few scenes. On the other hand, I really wished to see B. N. Sharma a lot more, who has always been one of the major lifelines of many hit Punjabi comedies, not exploited well as the girl’s father.
Interestingly both Gurpreet Ghuggi and B.N. Sharma had earlier acted in a Tele-film titled JEEJA JI based on the same concept (more than a decade back), written and directed by late Jaspal Bhatti, wherein Bhatti played the key role of the annoying Jeeja. May be the tele-film was the inspiration behind this project too.
Overall, in absence of a fresh or considerable plot, average music (including a catchy title song) and repetitive concept of a Punjabi wedding, LAAVAN PHERE doesn’t turn out to be any exceptionally great comedy. But at the same time doesn’t disappoint being an above average entertainer too, in case you just wish to unwind watching a clean family comic entertainer ‘without the Star’. In comparative terms I would personally love to rate it much better than MANJE BISTRE, which didn’t even have a plot and relied heavily on its star enigma, traditional ambience and family factor winning over the box office.
So do give it a try, since creators like Pali Bhupinder Singh and Smeep Kang certainly need a success to make much better movies.
Rating : 3 / 5
