Khosla Ka Ghosla, Delhi and other entertaining subjects

We saw Khosla Ka Ghosla a few days back. Every character in that wonderful movie is a stereotype. Stereotypes of course are not without truth, and when they are built without using clichés they make you relate to a film by making the context, plot and people familiar.

In the first five minutes, the movie establishes the sarcasm that it carries through the movie. KK Khosla (Anupam Kher) is dreaming about the reactions of his family after he dies. His elder son grabs the keys from the dead body’s pocket and mumbles about a presentation at work. His younger one is talking about imported watches and his daughter doesn’t want to wear a salwar kameez. Meanwhile his wife is being told with great concern that perhaps she could make rajma by letting the cooker whistle for four times instead of two and add a little soda to make the rajma soft.

The plot revolves around KK Khosla buying a piece of land, and a land-grabber Kishan Khurana (Bomban Irani). The story then is about how the family goes about claiming their right to the piece of land with the help of a drama troupe.

The movie doesn’t have a big budget and that is apparent. But even on flimsy budgets certain movies capture the essence of the context they want to place themselves in. Sure, the movie doesn’t have wide angled jaw-dropping images of Delhi, but the language and humour are so authentic that you will readily believe that the movie is a labour of Punjabi Love. The only sore point is Tara Sharma who plays Megha a stage artist. Her voice annoys me to the point of anger. It’s like she has a permanent bubble in her throat. All that faux-cuteness is just pissing off.

There is a certain lawlessness in Delhi that can only be experienced. Your entire routine of business and life revolves around ensuring minimum contact with the government. The government is the biggest mafia in the city. You’d like to believe that the city runs on the dregs of goodwill rather than any help from the authorities. Between the poorest of the poor and those who can shop at the most expensive of stores, the supposed middle class is largely ignored.

The dark character (Khurana) is so well portrayed. He’d your businessman with no heart, mean and with no regard for the rights of another. He keeps talking about Vaishno Devi and frequents temples perhaps in an effort to bribe the Gods. If he had a son, the kid would probably flout all the traffic rules and smirk that the police wouldn’t be able to touch him. The question – “Do you know who my father is?” is the fundamental premise which gets things done and undone in the city. Delhi’s equations changed drastically during the Asian Games that were held in the city in 1982. Real estate boomed and small barons emerged. The construction industry was given a major push, and every flyover built meant more underhand ways to make money because of the way the government handled tenders and manipulated figures.

I am not bothered about how realistic the movie is, I mean a man as shrewd as Khurana would never be fooled by the antics that fill the plot, but that is hardly the question. An average person in Delhi prays to money and power, and any person who appears to be richer or more powerful than the self is the one with the moral right to arm-twist. All this makes for such an entertaining watch. Such cynicism that it is almost a reminder of the most wonderful movie ever – Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron.