Fathers are not always right
Patiala House Hindi (U) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Anushka Sharma, Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia Director: Nikhil Advani
With the cricket World Cup just round the corner, director Nikhil Advani could not have asked for a better timing to release Patiala House, which is based on the gentlemen’s game.
Caught in a Catch-22 situation over choosing between family and his dreams, Pargat Singh Kahlon aka Gattu (Akshay Kumar) decides to give up cricket because of his father Gurtej Kahlon aka Bauji’s (Rishi Kapoor) anti-England sentiments.
Despite being an excellent fast bowler, Gattu turns shopkeeper in Southhall but keeps practising in the nets daily when the sun sets. Like Gattu, other members of the family are also scared of Bauji and have given up their dreams of becoming chef, rap singer and filmmaker and instead become jalebi wala, bhajan singer in the Gurdwara and cab driver respectively. Meanwhile, the England cricket team lands in a crisis and the board decides to select a fresh team for the upcoming T-20 Championship.
Gattu gets another chance to fulfill his dream and play for the England team at last. Enter Simran (Anushka Sharma), who along with other members of the Kahlon family encourages Gattu to realise his dream. Gattu agrees, but without informing his father.
Though the storyline is more or less predictable, the director has made all out efforts to present a better game.
The presence of genuine cricketers like Nasser Hussain, Andrew Symonds, Herschelle Gibbs, Kieron Pollard, Sanjay Manjrekar and Graham Gooch adds authenticity to the proceedings.
Patiala House is definitely Akshay Kumar’s best film in recent years. Rishi Kapoor as a strict father has done a marvelous job. Dimple Kapadia and Anushka Sharma have well-etched roles. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s music is average. Overall Patiala House is a good, if not an excellent movie. No harm in watching Gattu playing for England before heading towards Chinnaswamy Stadium for the India-Australia practice match.
