critic's rating: 3.0/5

Jogi Pratap (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) and Dimple Chaubey (Neha Sharma) meet for the first time in Bareilly when she gatecrashes a wedding and starts singing the song "Shaadi toh haigi torture" in her drunken stupor. Jogi, who is a wedding planner, helps her when she’s puking her guts out and even gives her money to go home. Jogi, who lives in Lucknow with his mother, aunt, and sisters, isn’t married and doesn’t want to either. He has his own set of reasons for that and, at one point, declares that he doesn't understand women. So when Dimple declares that she too is against marriage and asks for his help in getting her impending marriage to Lallu (Mimoh Chakraborty), a good-natured but cluess railway employee, he gladly agrees to help her, thinking her to be a kindred soul.

This proves more difficult than imagined because Lallu is madly in love with Dimple. Several hilarious scenarios play out as they try various methods of convincing Lallu's family to call off the wedding. This includes enticing Lallu to ask for dowry, getting Dimple kidnapped, casting aspersions on her character because she’s kidnapped, and even making her fake her pregnancy. Yes, they don’t sound so funny when put on paper, but the light-hearted vein in which everything is handled and the witty dialogue elevate the script.

The film makes a case for women-power. Dimple asks Lallu to bring her sanitary pads once when they are out to test whether he would be comfortable doing such chores. Jogi’s sister, Sarita, walked out of an abusive marriage. When his mother and sisters learn about Dimple’s predicament, they gladly help her and keep her safe in their home. The female characters smoke beedis and drink with abandon, stating that they shouldn't be denied the pleasure just because they’re women. Dimple has experimented with sex and isn’t ashamed of having done so.

Farrukh Jaffar, who was hilarious in Gulabo Sitabo (2020), makes her final cinematic appearance as Dimple's grandmother in the film. Just like her previous outings, she has the best lines and makes the most of them. Zarina Wahab makes a comeback in the film as Jogi’s caring mother and makes her mark. She’s someone we should be seeing more often in our films. Mimoh Chakraborty was launched as an action star and has tried to reinvent himself here as a comic actor. He’s likeable enough as Lallu but needs a little more polish in his technique. Sanjay Mishra is one of our finest comic actors and makes us laugh in his brief role as the leader of a gang of kidnappers suffering from recession.

Neha Sharma has infused Dimple with vitality and chutzpah and has shown good comedic timing. Unlike other films, where the leads are shown to be falling in love, here they are shown to be falling in friendship. Neha and Nawazuddin Siddique share a camaraderie that’s refreshing. Nawazuddin is one actor who can thrive under any set of circumstances. He plays Jogi, who is known for his jugaads, with a light touch and makes the character believable. It’s good to see him doing comedy after all the heavy-duty dramatic roles he’s been famous for.

The film relies heavily on one-liners and local flavour. Despite some predictable gags and some tedious portions, the narrative manages to hold your attention. It’s a clean comedy that can be watched with the whole family. What more can we ask for in today’s times, where double entendres and toilet humour get served to entice laughter?

Trailer : Jogira Sara Ra Ra

Ronak Kotecha, May 26, 2023, 1:30 PM IST

critic's rating: 3.0/5

Story: A wedding planner, who is staunchly against getting married finds himself in a soup after a fiery young girl lures him into getting her out of an arranged marriage.

Review: A small town, an independent and brash girl and a family full of quirky characters. ‘Jogira Sara Ra Ra’ has all the elements stuffed in to create a situational comedy from everyday life. And it all begins when Jogi (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) - a street smart marriage planner meets a feisty and brattish Dimple (Neha Sharma). She has just gate-crashed a wedding party organised by Jogi and after a few pegs, she takes to the mic to give a very critical yet honest review of the pathetic catering at the wedding. Of course, it culminates in a big song and dance, but unlike a regular Bollywood film, there’s no love at first sight here. In fact, director Kushan Nandy and writer Ghalib Asad Bhopali ensure there’s nothing conventional about the lead pair, as they are both flawed yet real characters. They use this to create conflict, confusion and chaos that works really well throughout the first half. Add to that Jogi’s eccentric and outspoken family for whom nothing he does or gets is good enough. From his mother (Zarina Wahab) to his younger sisters - they’re all a bunch of ungrateful pricks but you can tell there’s an underlying thread of love that basically binds them as family. Their love-hate equation makes for an entertaining watch. Dimple’s family is a little less dramatic except her dadi, who hasn’t let age dim her wit or charm of doling out unwanted advice or butting in when least required. All of this generates good comedic moments and organic humour. But as the second half rolls, the screenplay becomes slightly repetitive and unnecessarily convoluted. It feels like the makers have run out of new ideas before a predictable climax.
Nawazuddin is good as always but we’re so used to seeing him in powerful and completely out-of-the-box characters that watching him play a regular guy-next-door takes some getting used to. Neha Sharma looks good and carries off her role confidently. Although, some more depth in the way her character is written would have helped. Mahaakshay Chakraborty is a surprise package as the demure groom-to-be Lallu, who is a total pushover.

There’s no dearth of talented character artists here. Sanjay Mishra does his best to deliver in a small and insignificant role. Zarina Wahab and the rest of the ladies are a hoot as strong opinionated women in deeply patriarchal families. The setting of a small town as explored in many films no longer feels novel but is still endearing to watch. While there are all kinds of cliches, there is an inherent goodness in the simplicity and harmlessness of these characters. The soundtrack of the film is easily forgettable.

Overall, ‘Jogira Sara Ra Ra’ doesn’t offer great novelty to its audience but manages to keep you entertained with quite a few moments of unadulterated fun.