What Is the Story About?
ZEE5’s latest original film ‘Kanjoos Makhichoos’ centres on ideal family man Jamuna Prasad Pandey (Kunal Kemmu), who lives with his parents Ganga and Sarswati (Piyush Mishra and Alka Amin), wife Madhuri (Shweta Tripathi) and son. Jamuna is an utter miser, but for a reason. When an apparent family tragedy turns into a windfall for him, Jamuna must choose between money or morals.
‘Kanjoos Makhichoos’ is written and directed by Vipul Mehta, and produced by Soham Rockstar Entertainment along with ThunderSky Entertainment.
Performances?
Kunal Kemmu is excellent as the miserly Jamuna Prasad Pandey. He is eminently watchable, and brings conviction to his character of an unrefined Lucknow man. Though his role requires oodles of over-the-top melodrama from him, he pulls it off with flying colors. Kunal Kemmu proves yet again that he is easily one of the most talented, yet underrated, actors in the Hindi film industry.
Shweta Tripathi, Piyush Mishra and Alka Amin essay their parts perfectly. Rajiv Gupta, as civil servant Chaturvedi, is villainous, with a humorous touch. Kanjoos Makhichoos is comedian Raju Shrivastava’s final act, but his badly-written role is not quite the fitting final tribute we expected.
Analysis
Kanjoos Makhichoos has a relatable storyline, steeped in the essence of the family dramas of yore. It is the kind of film that will likely appeal to older audiences, but might not exactly be the kind of film that millennials would want to watch. Yet, the film has several elements that are quite adorable – Jamuna Prasad’s (Kunal Kemmu) devotion towards his parents, for instance.
The first half of the film focuses solely on establishing just how miserly Jamuna Prasad really is. He buys bhindi (ladyfinger) by the count – ten ladyfingers for his family of five – two per member. All fans in his home and shop run on their slowest speeds, in order to save on the electricity bill. He uses the belan (rolling pin) to squeeze the last teeny bit of toothpaste out of its tube. Interestingly, the latter is something every middle class Indian household will identify with, isn’t it?
Miserliness established, the story then goes on to reveal Jamuna Prasad’s reason behind it. This part does seem a bit stretched, but we go along with it. After several twists, the plot turns Jamuna Prasad into a do-gooder, who takes on the establishment for the greater good of society and his country.
The central premise of the second half of the film is definitely a harsh reality of our country. It’s great that Kanjoos Makhichoos chose to highlight the malaise; but the route it takes to do so is not as impactful as it could have been. The film has its heart in the right place, but that’s about it, as far as the impact it has – not any lasting one, for sure.
A majorly irritating thing about Kanjoos Makhichoos is the infinite number of songs in the film – they are too many and none good enough to merit a listen. All that the innumerable songs do is drag down the pace of the film, and disrupt the already sketchy flow of the narrative.
That said, it is the cast of the film that is the best thing about Kanjoos Makhichoos. Piyush Mishra is a riot, Shweta Tripathi is efficient and dependable as always, and Alka Amin’s performance is suitable refined. But it is Kunal Kemmu who makes Kanjoos Makhichoos a largely watchable drama, even though it is quite a mundane film.
To sum it up, Kanjoos Makhichoos is a light-hearted film that you can watch while multi-tasking – not something that needs your undivided attention to watch. Watch it for Kunal Kemmu, and the rest of the cast, if you must.
Music and Other Departments?
Rachita Arora’s background music for Kanjoos Makhichoos is good, and elevates the storytelling. The songs, though, are too many and too unforgettable. Pratik Parmar’s cinematography is superb. It perfectly captures the sights, sounds and essence of Lucknow. The editing is fine.
Highlights?
Casting
Performances, especially Kunal Kemmu’s
Drawbacks?
Unimpactful story
Too many songs
Mundane plot
Did I Enjoy It?
Somewhat, but not quite
Will You Recommend It?
Not exactly. It is only for those who like watching family dramas with a social message
Kanjoos Makhichoos Movie Review by Binged Bureau
We’re hiring!
We are hiring two full-time junior to mid-level writers with the option to work remotely. You need to work a 5-hour shift and be available to write. Interested candidates should email their sample articles to [email protected]. Applications without a sample article will not be considered.
