Sharmaji Namkeen HD Released

 

‘Get busy living or get busy dying’. Routine is quite underrated, isn’t it? Sometimes, even a dead-end job can keep you going. Life passes by for Saajan (Irrfan’s character in The Lunchbox). Days become months and months turn into years as he sincerely meets his 9 to 5 duties. That routine helps him sail through. Sharmaji’s former home appliances job is no different here. It has kept him busy and sometimes that is all that matters. Post retirement, whatsapp groups and his love for cooking leads him to a ladies kitty gang (led by Juhi Chawla). He finds solace in their mundane chatter and despite their privilege; the women are as collectively desolate as him. Through a slice-of-life, simple tale, director Hitesh Bhatia makes a light-hearted but moving case against ageism and gender stereotypes.

Nancy Meyers' The Intern starring Robert De Niro or Shoojit Sircar’s Piku can be termed as exceptions. Stories about elder people are rarely told with chutzpah and if at all they do get made, they often have an undercurrent of tragedy or regret. All grown children are ungrateful and all troubled parents, an epitome of sacrifice and tolerance. Real life is rarely one dimensional though. Sharmaji Namkeen cleverly evades the Baghban trope and offers a refreshing take on self-love, loneliness and single fatherhood.

While everyone has an opinion, no one’s a villain here. Sometimes, the only hurdle you must overcome is the baggage of your own inhibitions. Bhatia’s protagonist doesn’t wallow in self-pity as someone his age ideally would in our movies. The lead character is kind but doesn’t cave under pressure. He is a doting father but doesn’t compromise on his self-respect. The characters are as real as they can get and their situation, relatable.

Peppered with scrumptious Delhi street food (Aloo Tikki Chaat, Dahi Bhalle, the works), the film is breezy, humorous and uplifting. At no point does it get preachy or dramatic and striking that balance was tough. With no blatant conflict, how do you make the audience root for the protagonist as he’s no victim and there’s no oppressor. Like Shakun Batra, Bhatia presents an authentic depiction of a flawed but endearing child-parent dynamics, which becomes a highlight of this movie. People can co-exist as a family despite the differences.