Ghoomketu Hindi Movie Review

            I have a lurking suspicion that the owners of multiplex theatres are behind the idea of releasing Ghoomketu on the OTT platform. This ensures that film mein maaza nahin aaya to OTT mein phillum dekne ka maaza nahin aaya. If Mahesh Bhatt brought Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayi as the first film to be released on TV, we know have Pushpendranath Misra taking us to arguably a direct to OTT film designed for the theatre on the new found platform. The innovation is strictly on the commerce not in the content of the art. 

            The prospect of telling a story of the police chasing an aspirant film maker who is on the run from his rural background with dreams of making it big in Bollywood is full of promise. The film maker however blunders and is a living example of a blundering writer who wants to make it big in cinema. A good comedy does not require a great story but must have a fine script. This does not.

            Ghoomketu lives with Dad Dadda (Rajpal Yadav), Bua Santhu (Ila Arun), local politician uncle Guddan Chacha (Swanand Kirkire). Ghoomketu dreams of becoming a film writer and lands up in Mumbai with dreams and nothing more. Political pressure in Mumbai sees a corrupt police Inspector Badlani (Anuraag Kashyap) made in charge of the task of searching for Ghoomketu. Even as Ghoomketu is a tenant in the Inspector’s house he cannot put the pics together.

            The insipid script deals with the tribulations of the dreaming writer (no this is not Pyasa), who has his heart in the right place. The central character is not just naïve but woefully out of sync with the present times. There have been a number of films in recent times that have dealt with guys from the towns and how they are in chase of their dreams. Bareily Ki Barfi, Sui Dhaaga, etc. They immediately touch a chord. This does not.

            What the film maker surely extracts is the value from the performers. You can be sure that when Nawazuddin is in a film you are assured of at least a decent performance. That is guaranteed and hope not bellied. Only this is yet another occasion when the script lets him down completely like with Freaky Ali. Anurag Kashyap is reduced to a caricature and simply has nothing to do. That he does. Rajpal Yadav is over the top. That however obviously is by design. As the temperamental Dad who has mood swings, he is as ever accurate. The surprise pack in the film is Ila Arun as the Bua. She is the live spirit in the film. Big B fans may like to watch the film for his cameo which as usual is well placed.

            The style is committed to the tale. There lies the catch. In attempting to tell the story of a guy who dreams unsuccessfully to write the right story but leaves behind a moment, the film maker too ends up doing just that. Watch Ghoomketu only because it is the only film now available as a new product for viewing. Watch it also for Nawazuddin and a fine performance form Ila Arun.

More than a passionate film, this looks like a project work submitted at FTII.

L. Ravichander.