Angrezi Mein Kehte Hai Hindi Movie Review

Harish Vyas takes a look at matrimony. Decades ago Basu Bhattacharya made his ‘matrimonial triology’ dealing with Amar and Mansi. This is a return of sorts to the premise. Different. Very different. Only similar in the basic premise. Strangely Mansi in the Basu da version sought her space far more clearly and even sternly. The one comparative distinction is perhaps the city vs the town paradigm.
Moving on, to tell the story: Yashwant Batra (Sanjay Misra) is at the cusp of his retirement. Living on the banks of Ganga with his wife Kiran (Ekavalli Khanna) and daughter Preeti (Shivani Raghuvanshu). As a typical middle class Dad he has no time for romance. He will not accept the brewing romance of his daughter with the guy in the neighbourhood Jugnu (Anshuman Jha). Life, bereft of niceties gets mundane and heavy. Relationships are taken for granted like a morning cup of tea. The drift into the humdrum slowly takes its toll when expectations differ. Suddenly after two and a half decades Kiran decides to talk her mind. Pushed to the wall, her endurance tested she calls a spade a spade. In an unguarded moment Yash decides that he can live without her. A stunned Kiran returns to her brother Ravi (Imran Zahid) who never approved of his ‘middle class’ brother-in-law. The family gets together for the wedding of Preeti. Having performed their parenteral duties, the couple parts ways.
The less than two-hour film that deals with how life is compulsively different from Mills and Boon could have surely been far more effective. Vyas gets caught or at least finds it convenient to place himself and his characters in predictable moulds. The silent dutiful wife. The rebellious daughter, the obliging suitor and the ‘available and friendly’ neighbour. He then adds a punch lacking parallel story of Firoz (Pankaj Tripati) who is madly in love with his terminally ill wife. This super imposed purported tale in contrast simply fails to fit. The script screams for speed and novelty – both in short supply.
The main stay of the film is the sincere narrative aptly executed with amazing dignity by the lead pair – particularly Ekavalli Khanna. The ever-dependable Sanjay Misra lives up to the expectations. Not reduced to miniscule appearance he makes right use of the opportunity. Ekavalli is amazing – she gives the role a high credibility quotient – reminding you of Nimrat Kaur and Tabu. Her wardrobe warrants special mention. As do Brijendra Kalia and Pankaj Tripati.
The film fails to convert potential into reality. That is its major failure. A failure you are resigned to like the committed life partner is, in the script.

L. Ravichander