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EDITOR'S PICK
Rating: * 1/2
Today there are more soaps on television then the real soaps in people`s homes.
Hence, when going to watch films, audiences expect more than a melodramatic,
disappointing and condensed soap opera, which is exactly what Mummy
Punjabi is.
A Punjabi woman living in Chandigarh - Mummy (Kirron Kher) to most and Baby to a
few - tries to raise her two sons and a daughter on her traditional, yet quirky
values. She lets her girl loose, but puts a leash on her sons. Her children,
obedient as they are, comply. Most of the times things don`t go according to
plan, leading to much heartburn for Mummy.
Mummy? has its heart in the right place - it shows a clash of value
systems and how a traditional woman copes with them. The problem is that its
execution is not in sync with its intention. What you have thus is a
long-winded, simple and caricaturised soap opera that you see on TV which has
been condensed to two hours. The result is that in the relentless action in the
film, there`s not a second`s breathing space.
This would have been all right, had it not been for a terrible script that tries
to do too much. That suits director and writer Pammi Somal, who has written many
soaps for serials. It, however, does not work for big screen audiences.
The only saving grace in the film is Kirron Kher, who despite very little scope
in terms of the story and direction, does her best to keep the film together. It
is however sad, that one of the best actress on Indian screen, a woman whose
full range of talents have been exploited in masterpieces like Khamosh
Pani, is given such caricatured roles in badly directed films. Bollywood
can, and should, do better for her.
Kanwaljeet Singh, as a chilled out father, and Divya Dutta as a gossipy maid do
a good job too. But the rest of the cast seem straight out of a TV serial with
big-screen aspirations in their eyes.
Even bit roles done by the likes of Jackie Shroff, Satish Kushik, Gurdas Mann
and Rohit Roy cannot save the film that plays to the gallery in a very
predictable script and execution.
This is a case of a film that perhaps should not have been made. And if it had
to be made, it should have been made as a TV soap. It would have turned out to
be a blockbuster then
MUMMY PUNJABI is the `New Age Mother India`, with today`s grandeur, intensity, humour & emotions. A complete family entertainer, wherein a Punjabi urban mother balances tradition with her own value system. The movie brings to life her realistic vision of life, the joys, pleasures, as well as the social forces experienced by her and the family. It plays upon the uniqueness of her relationships with her husband and children, and her special relationship with a neighbor who admires her `completeness`. With the story rooted in Chandigarh, there are several foot tapping Punjabi songs and dances. Over the course of the film, her life comes a full circle as she reflects on her relationships, connecting with the hearts of all mothers, sons, daughters…