A quirky slice-of-life comedy that has its moments

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.