Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi – A Decent Satire

Ramprasad ki Tehrvi, the first theatrical release of 2021 is now running in theatres. Directed by veteran Seema Pahwa from Hum Log, the movie is a satire woven between the of death of Ramprasad (Naseeruddin Shah) and his Tehrvi.

Plot

Ramprasad ki Tehrvi as the name suggests is the family drama which starts when a music teacher Ramprasad dies and all his children come to their home for the rituals. 

Ramprasad’s 4 sons Gajraj (Manoj Pahwa), Manoj (Ninad Kamat), Pankaj (Vinay Pathak) and Nishant (Parambrata Chatterjee), and 2 daughters along with their husbands arrive for the rituals, and as the days pass by the cracks and issues within the relationships begin to appear.

The movie slowly proceeds with some very relatable sequences, be it the one where everyone asks for tea at night or the long queues for toilet in the morning. As the Tehrvi falls on 1st Jan, even discussing if anyone would come on that day, given they will be partying on 31st night.

Amidst the proceedings of chautha and Tehrvi, the family members come to know that the shop they had is mortgaged and Ramprasad has left huge debt to be paid which needs to be cleared. To add to this who Amma (Supriya Pathak), will live with, is the question which worries the brothers and their wives.

The movie also has a Garaj’s son Rahul (Vikrant Massey), a young bloke high on hormones, who is busy flirting and making out with the neighbor nearby, even hitting on his aunt (Konkana Sen)

With a few heartwarming and a few heartbreaking sequences, the movie goes on to explore the changing equations within the family. 

The Hits

Ramprasad ki Tehrvi is a film where the audience can relate to most of the sequences. Most of the characters are just the ones which we see around us in every family gathering.

The film is a satire with a hint of comedy in some of the sequences, and with some really good performances that works for most of the part. The relationship and interaction scenes between brothers or the scenes between the  wives in the kitchen are realistic and well placed.

Seema Pahwa’s direction is spot on and she has put all her experience to good effect. All the actors have given a very realistic and subtle performance which works perfectly with the mood of the film.

The Misses

Though Ramprasad ki Tehrvi is a good film, it has its share of shortcomings. The movie which looks like a situational comedy from the trailers is a rather serious satire which after a point becomes dull due to its slow speed.

The scenes become repetitive after a point and the viewer keeps on waiting for something to happen which never happens. A bit more touch of humour, along with better production values would have made this movie an entertaining watch.

With so many characters, the film never dives or invests into specific situations or character, but keeps on superficially touching everything which dilutes the impact which ideally one would expect.

Performances

Ramprasad ki Tehrvi has a fleet of well known faces, who are known for their performances and they have not disappointed. 

Manoj Pahwa, Ninad Kamat, Vinay Pathak and Parambrata are genuine and excellent as the brothers. Supriya Pathak as Amma is good and so is Konkana Sen as a bahu who wants to be an actress.

Vineet Kumar is good as Mamaji whereas Brajendra Kala as the son in law of the family is just what the stereotypical damaad in hindi movies is. Vikrant Massey as the flirt young boy fits in the role.

Naseeruddin Shah as Ramprasad has nothing much to do but adds to the list of accomplished actors in the film.

FFC Take

Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi is a good satire which is well made and relatable, though it falls a bit lacking in the entertainment quotient. This is a film which will appeal to a certain section of audiences and is certainly not for the masses.

But still if you are in for this genre and love to see a movie with real settings and honest performances Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi is a decent watch.