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Bollywood Film Review

Johnson Thomas

A vintage Whine



Film: Shimla Mirchi

Cast: Hema Malini, Rajkumar Rao, Rakul Preet Singh, Kanwaljeet, Shakti Kapoor, Kiron Juneja, Ramesh Sippy, Dharmendra, Tarun Wadhwa, Kamlesh Gill, Priya Raina, Jagruti Sethia, Nita Mohindra, Zoya Khan

Director: Ramesh Sippy

Rating: * *

Runtime: 128 mins



This Ramesh Sippy produced and Directed film made way back in 2015 was forgotten until Viacom18 decided to give it a decent burial by giving it a limited single screen release. Starring Sippy’s ‘Andaz’ & ‘Sholay’ actress Hema Malini with a plot that appears similar to 1984 southern production ‘Ek Nai Paheli’ directed by K Balachander, also starring Hema Malini, Kamal Hassan, Raaj Kumar, Padmini Kolhapure and others. The main construct about the possible romance between an older woman and younger man whom her daughter might have a tender for, may seem similar but that’s where the similarity ends. In Shimla Mirchi, set(obviously) in Shimla, Rukmini(Hema Malini), seperated from her philandering husband Tilak(Kanwaljeet) and unwilling to let the relationship end in divorce, is quick to latch on to her daughter Naina’s(Rakul Preet Singh) advice and immerse herself in the fantasy of a romantic letter she receives from a secret admirer. The letter was received by Naina, written by her ardent admirer Avinash(Rajkumar Rao) and unknown to him, copied and addressed to Rukmini - in a misdirected bid by Naina to uplift her mother’s depressed spirits.



The plotting is ridiculous, there’s no real tempo to this telling. The narrative pace is so lethargic and the characters’ actions so wilful that it makes for a bemusing watch. Avinash, the hero, lacks the communication skills to express his love while his friend, Joginder, in contrast, goes from one foreign national to another as though he is changing his shirt.Avinash’s mother and assorted relatives( all female) see Naina, all dressed up for a friendly photo-shoot( in a saree/lehenga shop) and consider her ideal for a bahu - It’s almost as though they were shopping for one. Naina,( a poorly written part), is a tantrum throwing, glass breaking, wilful damsel who is all-too-eager to see her parents divorced. Rukmini is the traditional wife/doormat who is willing to risk life and limb, climb a rickety tree branch, to catch a glimpse of her estranged husband who happens to be living-in with a younger woman his daughter’s age- just a furlong away from her own home.



Written by Sippy, Kausar Munir, Rishi Virmani and Vipul Binjola, the screenplay fails to serve up enough spice to make this bland, unattractive dish serviceable. While Hema Malini exudes charm, her acting skills fail to achieve an appreciable level of histrionics. Rakul Preet looks like she is trying a little too hard to be effervescent and Rajkumar Rao, even though sincere, looks a little too ill-at-ease.Shakti Kapoor, as Captain uncle, the manager of National Cafe, begins his entry by saying he is a changed man -yeah! And we see that he plays facilitator rather than the well established villain of yore.



Ramesh Sippy’s 25 year long feature film hiatus doesn’t appear to have done him much good. His takes are better suited for TV and the main theme here would have done better as an expanded sitcom - not the pitiable romcom that was attempted here. Even his brief cameo and Dharmendra’s late entry cannot save this vintage whine from being too old-fashioned and musty to be palatable.

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