Critics,are you kidding us

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

When Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi was being promoted, I expected it to be a good comedy given the two stellar actors in the cast. Surprisingly all the reviews were poor and it bomb ed at the box office.Last night I found PKPS on You Tube so I watched it as a comedy is much better than a violent or serious movie just before bedtime.Well Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi is certainly not as bad as the critics and other reviewers make it out to be. It is stretched in parts and a bit too much propaganda of so called Gujarati 'asmita' and 'over the top' Punjabiyat but other than that it is a very watchable film with a good dose of humour. I especially liked the few political digs that were stuck in the dialogues here and there ...PKPS does not purport to be serious cinema or anything other than fun; in this case centred around the romance between a Punjabi lad and a Gujarati lass. The Punjabi family come to live in a typical Gujarati society and the humour takes off from there. It is not a rib tickling comedy but the dialogues are witty and overall it is a humorous film.So much for the critics and poor reviews ....

The film promises a Punjabi wedding for a Patel family, but it doesn't deliver the said premise till the last 5 minutes of a 2-hour runtime. Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi is more a squabble between Punjabis and Gujaratis, rather than a wedding featuring two contrasting cultures. A run-of-the-mill boy meets girl romance where the Punjabi lad has to work towards convincing his Gujarati's girlfriend's dad for marriage. This film would make a rather average episode in a TV comedy show. Loud and brash like its Punjabi characters, definitely not sharp and astute like Gujarati businessmen, this film is a khichdi of Indian stereotypes and clichés. A Punjabi family, the Tandons (Rishi Kapoor, Vir Das, Prem Chopra and Divya Seth) move from Punjab to Mumbai and land up at a gated community full of Gujarati families. Their drinking, dancing and spunky habits draw the ire of their neighbour Mr Patel (Paresh Rawal). As fate would have It, Patel's daughter Pooja (Payal Ghosh) and Tandons' son Monty (Vir Das) fall in love. So the next two hours are spent sorting the rivalry between Patels and Tandons, while their children try out a romance. For a film that has such remarkable acting talent on offer (Kapoor, Rawal and Chopra) the writing makes sure the veteran actors get some cringe worthy dialogue. Great actors are limited to being frustrating characters that promote communalism even if it is unintentionally.The chemistry between Rishi Kapoor and Paresh Rawal is effortless. The two actors feed off each other to make comic timing look like child's play. But their characters are frustratingly wooden and one dimensional. The ideas of neighbourhood rivalries, cultural differences between communities and old Punjabi WhatsApp humour lack the novelty needed to fuel a comedy. Focussing on the same elements in a Gujarati-Punjabi wedding setting would have been a far brighter idea. It would have given Vir Das and Payal Ghosh that much more to do.Writer-director Sanjay Chhel though seems content at working age-old ideas in the most barebones fashion. 20 years ago, Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi would've fitted in. But in an age where swipe-left and swipe-right romances make the fresh cut and even family entertainment comes in the form of comedies like Bareilly Ki Barfi and Shubh Mangal Savdhan, the tried, tested and jaded offerings of this comedy feel a little out of place. Yes there are moments like Vir Das' Gujarati rap and Rishi Kapoor's OTT clothes that stand out. But Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi is one weary film about Indian communities and their closed mind-sets. Definitely not up to the times.

The story is about a Punjabi, played by Rishi Kapoor and a Gujarati, played by Paresh Rawal, whose children are getting married to each other. Payal Ghosh will debut as Paresh Rawal's daughter, who plays the love interest of Rishi Kapoor's son, to be played by Vir Das. The movie looks like as if it was made earlier in released now. The two actors looked as if they r not paid their fees n made to act on gun point.