A scene from 'The Great Indian Family'.
The Great Indian Family
Hindi (Theatres)
Director: Vijay Krishna Acharya
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Kumud Mishra, and Manushi Chhillar
Rating: 2.5/5
Was it a Hindu kiss or a Muslim kiss,” asks Vicky Kaushal after planting a peck on Manushi Chhillar’s lips for the first time. The girl rates it as an “awkward Indian kiss” but falls for him nevertheless.
After all, the man is totally zen. Pandit Ved Vyas Tripathi aka Bhajan Kumar aka Billu is not a religious bigot — a virtue in these times when hate hangs heavy in the air. ‘The Great Indian Family’ is not great but it delivers the Hindu-Muslim-Sikh-Isai message in under two hours — quite an achievement in a season of loud jingoism where the hero roars to the crowd like an Alpine bear.
Here, Billu is a pandal-hopper belting out pop devotionals. No one in the mohalla is immune to Billu’s charm. Then comes a revelation. A letter to his priest-father sets off unrest at home, which spills out onto the streets. Vicious social media campaigns follow and Billu finds himself doubting his religious identity.
Director Vijay Krishna Acharya occasionally adopts a preachy tone and leans on familiar tropes to underscore the importance of inclusivity, but his noble intentions shine through.
Manushi Chhillar plays a feisty Sikh but is strictly ornamental, and brings nothing to the table. Kaushal gives an earnest performance as Billu, the symbol of tolerance.
In a polarised world, Billu needs a pat on his back for loving all the colours of the rainbow.