Directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, produced by Yash Raj Films and headlined by Vicky Kaushal, The Great Indian Family is finally that family-entertainer of 2022 which is the need of the hour. A brilliant take on inclusivity without being preachy. Read on…
Cast : Vicky Kaushal, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Alka Amin, Manushi Chhillar, Yashpal Sharma, Srishti Dixit, Bhuvan Arora
Director : Vijay Krishna Acharya
Rating : 3.5/5
Plot : The film starts with talking about the story of Ved Vyas Tripathi also known as Bhajan Kumar, played by Vicky Kaushal who is a celebrated Bhajan singer in the fictitious city of Balrampur. His family has a reputed name in the city where his father and uncle, Siyaram Tripathi and Balakram Tripathi played by Kumud Mishra and Manoj Pahwa respectively are both coveted Pandits of the city. He has a twin sister, Gunja Tripathi played by Srishti Dixit and aunt, Sushila Kumari played by Alka Amin.
Bhajan Kumar is a happy-go-lucky boy who is following his father’s steps earnestly but is also looking for love but due to his image of a Bhajan Kumar, a lot of girls bow down to touch his feet in respect to his dismay. His two friends, Bhatta and Sarweshwar played by Bhuvan Arora and Abhishek Ujjwal are his partner in crime when he lives his own carefree life post his singing sessions.
He accidentally meets Jasmeet Jalandhar (Manushi Chhillar) and his life turns 360 degrees where he eventually falls in love with her. Along with this twist, one more major twist in his life comes when a letter arrives at Ved’s home which creates a huge conflict with his identity. This conflict changes his perception towards his friends and family as a result of the reaction which he receives overnight after this letter’s delivery. He is left shocked as his own family members disown him and his friends betray him. These twists and turns transform Bhajan Kumar into a new person where he sees life from the other side and learns new things about himself. What happens next is a tale of inclusivity, Indian-ness and the fact that, in the end, only the family is that safe space which one finds after trouble.
What We Loved : Vicky Kaushal’s endearing and mature approach to playing a character like Bhajan Kumar is commendable. Bhajan Kumar is simply a character personified who lives in a small city in India wherein Kaushal brings immense believability with his mannerism, accent and action-reaction game all on point making us see only Ved Vyas and not Vicky Kaushal. The actor who is in terrific form off recently, has again shown his class as an actor where is making the dramedy (comedy plus drama) genre his own playground. His restrain in the emotional scenes and where he is visibly angry is another victory for him as a performer.
Not to forget, theatre actors who are simply so brilliant in everything they touch, Kumud Mishra and Manoj Pahwa are the perfect actors to have been casted in this family-drama. Both Mishra and Pahwa dwell into the skin of their characters to the T. Their presence adds a lot to the scenes.
Lastly, Alka Amin and Sadiya Siddiqui play their parts well. And, the delightful surprise is Srishti Dixit as Gunja who gives a very promising and endearing debut performance. It feels like she has been doing this for years. Her onscreen character and her real life image persona are poles apart and she will definitely surprise you.
The film has a direct, funny and lightly preachy take on the understandings of religion in our nation. It also makes us realize how less we know of other religions and simply judge them and make a conclusion around it. Movies like The Great Indian Family are important because after all, our country’s USP is our integrity and oneness. We highly recommend The Great Indian Family where you must take your families to the theatres for an immersive experience with a very important message which every Indian must know about.
