To begin with, this is not any detailed review of the latest Punjabi release, the second film in ARDAAS series titled ARDAAS KARAAN, as I wish to convey something more important which you might not find mentioned in details in the numerous reviews of the film on the world-wide web.
However for friends still willing to read in short, the second film in ARDAAS series is yet again a heartfelt amalgamation of many relevant social plots with a similar religious tone (in a much more preachy form than before), specifically focusing on its important life teaching message instead of the entertainment quotient. The film has its share of shortcomings, being based on a familiar and predictable plot, with a bit of over-the-top acts along with a tiring repetition and spoon feeding of its core theme, wasting a few artists just there for the namesake.
Yet it largely remains a likable and well-shot film, certainly deserving praises for defying the set patterns of Punjabi Cinema, showcasing the much required courage of moving away from the usual silly comedies. Though, cinematically it does fall short of the stature of its first film in the series, ARDAAS KARAAN still turns out to be a fairly positive film giving a worthy social message, with the best act coming from the youngest name in the cast - Gurfateh Singh (Gippy’s son), who emotes much more naturally than anyone else in the film including Gippy and Gurpreet Singh Ghuggi.
With a BTC rating of 3 STARS, the one thing I liked the most in the film apart from Gurfateh Singh was the surprising image makeover of Kuljinder Singh Sidhu, playing a pleasant cameo. But having said that, ARDAAS KARAAN surely could have been a much better product, minus the overdone melodrama, spoon feeding and repetitive preaching.
Coming to the basic subject of the article,
the mainstream Punjabi cinema and its writers have always been under a heavy influence or awe of Hindi Cinema and its subjects since the reinvention of the medium (post the success of JATT & JULIET and CARRY ON JATTA). And the same can be seen in the two films written and directed by Gippy Grewal in his ARDAAS series too, making a breakthrough as well as a solid impression on the Punjabi audience.
Probably very few would have cracked it, but I had clearly explained in my review of ARDAAS (2016) in details that how Gippy Grewal so cleverly and beautifully modeled his first directorial venture on a famous Hrishikesh Mukherjee film released more than four decades back in 1972 titled BAWARCHI (which in reality was itself inspired from a Bengali as well as an English film)
Quoting from my own review of ARDAAS written at bobbytalkscinema.com,
“Just visualise Rajesh Khanna in BAWARCHI as a stranger teacher instead of a servant, the home as a small village and the members of that one household as various families living in the village having their own personal problems.
A teacher joins the local school, starts dealing with every key member of the village individually and tries to give them a new insight of life, bringing in the much needed positive change. Add a respectable religious-spiritual preachy tone to the film and incorporate all the major social issues faced by the people of Punjab as its various sub-plots played by reputed actors to the best of their ability.
That makes BAWARCHI into ARDAAS with Gurpreet Singh Ghuggi playing Rajesh Khanna to be precise.”
The detailed review of ARDAAS (2016) can be read at the following link:
Admitting the truth, my conclusion about the actual inspirational source of Gippy’s ARDAAS would have been proved a vague guess-work, had Gippy delivered a fresh concept in his second directorial venture in the series as ARDAAS KARAAN.
But amazingly Gippy yet again returns back to Hrishikesh Mukherjee for his next film too and this time transforms Mukherjee’s ANAND into ARDAAS KARAAN very intelligently incorporating some relevant social issues and the Punjabis living abroad into his road-movie kind of script along with the Gurbani quotes, on the similar lines as devised in his first venture.
This time again he brings in Gurpreet Singh Ghuggi to play Rajesh Khanna of ANAND and casts himself in the role of Amitabh Bachchan who very well knows about Ghuggi’s terminal illness and limited time left to live his life.
Luckily, the theme of terminal illness amalgamated with relevant plots of generation gap, migration to foreign countries, broken marriages and more largely works again and Gippy delivers a fine thought provoking film that emotionally touches at regular intervals in its various sequences. But he surely could have achieved much bigger excellence without overstuffing the film with many forced sub-plots and continuous preaching.
On the other hand, the star-writer-director certainly needs to be applauded for presenting the meaningful series without featuring himself in the lead role, which he could have easily done taking advantage of his present stature in the industry. Choosing a back seat in the project written, directed and produced by a star himself is surely not an easy task in the world of movies and glamour.
At the same time, it would have been really great if Gippy had openly dedicated the series to the actual inspiration, the master of his art - Hrishikesh Mukherjee.
Cheers!
Copyright - Bobby Sing (Harpreet)
(21st July 2019)
bobbytalkscinema.com
