Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?: Review

On day one of Chachaji’s (Paresh Rawal) stay at his nephew Puneet’s (Ajay Devgn) plush Goregaon flat, the elderly man puts his legs up on the sofa and farts loudly, much to the horror of everyone present. On day two, he lets out another stinker at the dining table. On day three, the vayupravah (yes, that’s what Chachaji calls it) is let loose in the living room. On day 10, it’s in the kitchen. On day 22, while watching TV. On day 30, just about everywhere…

Not the subtle humour in parts, not the acting skills, not the emotionally-charged moments, not the smart one-liners. It is only the obnoxious toilet humour and the unnecessarily prolonged farting gag that stays with you at the end of Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?. Which is a pity, because this Warner Bros production had the potential to be a wholesome entertainer with a social message in the Basu Chatterjee-Hrishikesh Mukherjee mould, but it all goes up in hot air for the most part.

Borrowing its premise from poet Sharad Joshi’s satire Tum Kab Jaoge Atithi, the film has a lazy start with Puneet, a film writer, and his Bengali wife Moon Moon (Konkona), lamenting the fact that no relatives come visiting. Overjoyed when Puneet’s Chachaji from Gorakhpur lands up bag and baggage, the family of three soon starts devising ways and means of putting him on the next train home when he overstays his welcome. Try as they might — from hoax calls to engaging a dangerous don — there is nothing that can make the elderly man budge.

At a running time of a little over two hours, Atithi doesn’t drag too much, but director Ashwni Dhir repeats too many gags and situations, causing them to lose their flavour. For a comedy, Atithi doesn’t have too many scenes that make one laugh out loud. The film-set scene where Viju Khote reprises his Kaalia act from Sholay is a highlight, but the overly melodramatic climax bores. The tiny twist at the end is fun, but comes a little too late.

The performances, to some extent, hold Atithi together. Ajay Devgn plays it subtle, which after his over-the-top acts in the Golmaal films, is a pleasant surprise. Paresh Rawal’s Chachaji is nowhere close to his Baburao Apte in Hera Pheri, but whenever he isn’t forced to fart, the actor shines through. Konkona is her usual effortless self, especially when she breaks into Bangla. But all she does for the greater part of the film is run behind the farting Chachaji with a room freshener!

Want to brave the fartathon? Then go for Jyoti jalaile, a devotional twist to Beedi jalaile, with Paresh doing a Bips!


Priyanka Roy, t2