SAAS BAHU AUR SENSEX

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Producer/Presenter : PLA Entertainment/Warner Brothers


Director : Shona Urvashi


Cast : Kirron Kher, Farooq Sheikh, Masumeh, Ankur Khanna, Tanushree Dutta


SAAS BAHU AUR SENSEX is an original screenplay, in the urban comedy /
drama genre. It's about the new growing Indian life; set against the
back drop of a positive view of the stock market. SBS stars an
eclectic mix of young newcomers like Ankur Khanna, Tanushree Dutta &
Masumeh Makhija, it has flavour of seasoned actors like Kirron Kher,
Farooq Shaikh and Lillette Dubey amongst others. The film upgrades
daily dose of soap opera and stock market from the idiot box to the
big screen. And with its balanced blend you achieve the two without an
indecisive state-of-mind, like when swapping channels on the small
screen.


The simple feel-good film opens with a family of two shifting to a new
housing society in Mumbai. The mother Binita Sen (Kirron Kher) is a
divorcee and the daughter Nitya (Tanushree Dutta) seems to be lost in
the new surroundings. Boy-next-door Ritesh (Ankur Khanna) comes to
help and gets her a job in a call centre where almost the entire
society seems to be recruited. Ritesh is in love with another society
girl Kirti (Masumeh). But Kirti is a self-centered middle-class girl
want to enjoy good life whose ultimate aim is to marry a millionaire
she uses Ritesh on the standby. Meanwhile Binita wishes to sell some
erstwhile shares to gain some economic ground and meets a rude but
sensitive stock broker Feroz Sethna (Farooq Sheikh) who guides her
into proper investing. Subsequently Binita's entire kitty party gang
is encouraged to invest in stocks. As Ritesh's romance proceeds in
sync with a sensex backdrop, the film reaches an expected climax.


Thematically the film faintly reminds of Sai Paranjpe's Katha
(Naseeruddin Shah -Farooq Sheikh - Deepti Naval) with a gender
reversal in the love triangle. The setting is upgraded from a suburban
chawl to a high-class society. The ambitious money-minded Masumeh with
an unapologetic attitude is symbolic of the manipulative Farooq Sheikh
from the original (urban corruption in the antihero was an age-old
approach). The film doesn't get overtly judgmental on her grey
characterization.


The film runs simultaneously in two parrallel streams, one is to
educate a common middle class cinegoesr the complexity of share market
in the layman's lingo. The film encourages women and in general
everyone to invest in stocks for the progress of the nation, it also
disapproves of its monetary maneuvering on human mind in the climax.
The chat show Saas Bahu aur Sensex on CNBC with Rakesh Jhunjhunwala as
an expert try to mix reel life with real life.


On the other parallel stream, this film tries to spoof daily
soaps.The chick-flick humour in the begining is endearing and
smile-inducing. But as the film progresses it start becoming a
bhelpuri of arithmetic of shares and geometry of love-triangle, the
backdrop is of multi lingustic multicultural urban families. Though
the narrative starts slitely dragging but the viewer fully enjoy the
bhelpuri flavour.. While viewer can clearly envisage the end, the film
stretches itself through the contrived climax.


From the cast, Farooq Sheikh induces some unadulterated funny moments
with his pristine Parsi performance. Kirron Kher puts in a compelling
act while Masumeh shines as the practical-thinking urban girl seeking
for that one right opportunity. Lilette Dubey sparkles from the kitty
party gang and the ageing pop diva Sharon Prabhakar could have done
with some better makeup. The lead boy Ankur Khanna appears to be a
very natural actor, if given good role, he has potential to go much
upward. Tanushree Dutta is OKay but Masumeh has a better potential.


To me this film should be shown in all the investers meet as an
learning experience.


pradeep gupta