Ferrari Ki Sawaari

Ferrari Ki Sawaari, while not revolutionary in any sphere (unless you count the lack of heroine which is unusual despite Vidya Balan’s unnecessary Lavani song) and was praised by most critics though nowadays I turn to social media and blogs for film reviews and not the mainstream media.
The film is more about good people turning evil as compared to Munnabhai's and 3 Idiots where people’s characters were extreme and where black was black and white was, well, super squeaky white.
Debutant director Rajesh Mapuskar, sensibly and perhaps, cautiously, does not stray from the well trodden path of his mentor Raju Hirani.
Where the film fails is the absence of a soul stirring background music which was (if you realise it) the highlight in Munnabhai/ 3 idiots.
The film also focuses on father son relationships (the undemonstrative love but love nonetheless between Boman and Sharman & the tender love between Sharman and Koya-Ritwik Sahore) that is a major change from the oft repeated (ad infinitum) mother-son relationships in films.
Father-son relationships have been the focus of very few films like Shakti (Dilip Kumar/Amitabh) Moghul-E-Azam (Prithviraj Kapoor/Dilip Kumar) Shashi Kapoor (Aa Gale Lag Jaa)
Luckily the director offers no solutions (because there aren’t any in our country) and we respect him for that.
Though publicised as a film on cricket, scratch the surface and you will see that the film also deals with a wider canvas and deals with our obsession with weddings, Politics, school rivalries and its disastrous effects, the Indian mindset and obsession in achieving their dreams via the children, our inherent respect for our parents decisions even when knowing that they are not right, middle class moralities and how being upright may be good for your morale but will not pay for your children’s dreams, and surprisingly, the logistics behind the organised crime of stealing cars (!)
More importantly you will like the film for its strong stance on a father demonstration on trying to be sincere irrespective of circumstances.
To preach a child about morality is one thing but to exemplify it is another and for that we love Sharman’s character.
In Sharman’s words: Jo Dekhega, Wo Seekhega.
(Vidhu Vinod Chopra was so enamoured by Sharman that he has also cast him in his next film to be directed by Tanuja Chandra-a romantic comedy)
While its true that the team has an eye on the box office its aim is do it without the easy playing to the gallery method but the tougher and the more intelligent ( and maybe, commercially not viable) way through tugging the heart strings…
While there have been movies on cars in the past (Amongst the Hindi ones I can recall only the very forgettable Tarzan-The Wonder Car by Abbas Mastan) like Cars, Fast and Furious series. Love bug etc, Christie) here though the Ferrari is physically present its more to do with the car being used symbolically to show the life’s ups, downs, instability, unpredictability, envy and finally reaching destinations in spite of hiccoughs.
Amir Khan was asked to play the role Sharman did but since Amir was so fond of Sharman he did not even read the script paving the way for Sharman’s role of a lifetime.
The makers were confident that the collections of the film would start on a low level and pick up subsequently after a strong word of mouth reference and that’s what happened.
The film has many highlights that would ensure a repeat viewing
(For those who have not seen the film they may wish to skip this part and go to the next paragraph)
The insistence of Sharman to pay for the traffic offence irrespective of any eye witness, The in-house phone conversation between Sharman & Boman, the breaking of the piggy bank, Boman's meeting with his nemesis Paresh Ravel in a fantastic cameo, collection of the final amount to pay for Kayo’s Lords journey (shot in an actual Parsi colony) and the concluding outburst by Sharman with Paresh Ravel ( reminiscent of the outburst of Askok Kumar towards Pradeep Kumar in the climax of the Basu Chatterjee film : Khatta Meetha)
Additionally, the supporting actors add to icing on the cake.
The wedding Planner Babbu played by Seema Pahwa, Satyadeep Mishra as the coach, Aakash Dabhade as the servant, Deepak Shirke as the naive watchman, and Nilesh Divekar as the spoilt son of a powerful politician are laugh riots.
Watch Shirke’s expressions during his meeting with the car dealer and you will know what I mean.
All in all, an honest, unpretentious but gratifying family movie and though emotionally manipulative, still makes for a nice home and a family viewing on a holiday.

It has been a long time since we have seen some simple,meaningful movie which touches our heart.The acting of Sharman Joshi and Boman Irani was impeccable. I loved the attention given to the minutest details of the habits and life-style of the Parsi and the beautiful presentation. Good humor is like icing on the cake.