A tour de force that rolls into your heart

Hawaa Hawaai
Hindi (U)
**** Good
Director: Amole Gupte
Cast: Partho Gupte, Saqib Saleem, Neha Joshi, Makrand Deshpande and Salman Khan, Ashfaque Khan, Maaman Memon & Tirupathi Krishnapelli

A father directing his son is nothing new in the world of Hindi cinema. However, if they really want to do it, they should take a page out of Amole Gupte's book. He left us with a lump in the throat with “Stanley Ka Dabba”, and now has us rooting for the underdog—something the masses love doing—for tea-delivery-boy-turned-skater Arjun Waghmare. Don't be surprised if you see tearful eyes or hear whistled applause by the end of the film!

It begins with a Arjun (Partho Gupte) taking up his job as teashop boy in Mumbai to help his widowed mother (Neha Joshi) support their family, including his younger sister and grandmother. The parking ground where he delivers tea transforms into a skating arena for teacher “Lucky” Bhargava (Saqib Saleem).

Captivated by the roller-blades, Arjun and his friends—played by Salman Khan (not the grown-up actor), Ashfaque Khan, Maaman Memon and Tirpupathi Krishnapelli—help him craft a pair they christen the eponymous “Hawaa Hawaai”, after scavenging the junkyard. Arjun manages to impress the Lucky, who dreams of making him a champion of the sport. How they go about it forms the crux of the film.

However, along the way, Amole Gupte sprinkles around enough emotional turmoil to take the collective amygdalas of the audience for a roller-coaster ride they won't easily forget. Take, for example, the flashes that explain what became of Arjun's father (Makrand Deshpande) or scenes like the one where the impoverished quintet of boys thrilled at the thought of savouring some stale butter chicken.

Add to that the smooth acting Gupte Sr manages to elicit from every single person, especially from the youngsters, and you can almost feel yourself instructing some of the more wooden-faced actors in the industry to learn from them. Hitesh Sonik's tunes and Gupte's own words combine to make memorable melodies.

One of the few places the film falls short is a plotline, but then again, as a film aimed mostly at children, “Hawaa Hawaai” still manages to entertain the adults, or maybe it appeals to the children in them. Also, the subplot about Lucky's broken leg and love interest seem somewhat redundant, but some sparkling dialogue written for the children, and a lot of things about not just Arjun's four friends but the other youngsters, ease you into appreciating a film that most will recommend their friends and family to watch.