Seriously, don’t think, just laugh

Nonika Singh

Highbrow or not so uppity, we have all died laughing in the cult classic Punjabi comedy ‘Carry on Jatta’. Riding on the success of the 2012 film, as the third outing arrives, expectations are high and the opening day witnesses houseful shows. So, does the film deliver?

Well, the opening song, ‘Kise Nu Changga Maadaa Kahiye Na Assi Faltu Tension Laiye Na’, sets the tone and gives us a sample of what we Punjabis are ‘Apne Aap Ton Bina Kade Importance Kise Nu Deiye Na’ and what we love.

And who doesn’t love a good laugh? Clearly, nothing here is expected to be taken seriously. Like its predecessor, an out-and-out laugh riot, the template of the franchise is more or less the same. Only the setting is no longer rural Punjab but a plush London. The storyline follows a similar graph. The hero, Jass (Gippy Grewal), falls for the beauteous Punjaban, Meet (Sonam Bajwa). But before he can get daddy dearest, advocate Dhillon (Jaswinder Bhalla), to give his blessings, hell has already broken loose.

Dhillon and Meet’s maternal uncles are on a warring path. What follows is a comedy of confusion. As Jass’ friends Honey and Goldy (Gurpreet Ghuggi and Binnu Dhillon) take over to clear the path of love, more chaos ensues. Who is single, who is married, who wants to marry whom; the three musketeers (Gippy, Gurpreet and Binnu) take the narrative forward even if the storyline is as absurd as it gets.

The idea behind director Smeep Kang’s madness is direct and simple: to tickle your funny bone. It’s an endeavour in which he succeeds most of the time, if not all the time. All the comic actors of previous outings, right from Ghuggi to Dhillon to Bhalla, are in place and like always, their comic timing is impeccable. Gippy is in fine form too and the producer in him knows it takes a crowd to make merry, and make crowds happy. So, despite being the romantic lead, he doesn’t hog the limelight and allows the ensemble cast as much space. Apart from the usual suspects, there is Kavita Kaushik of ‘FIR’ fame as Goldy’s wife, adding to the mayhem that knows no logic, only a calibrated method.

Indeed, what truly drives the comic quotient in any good comedy is the writing, by which we mean not just the screenplay but the dialogues as well. Dialogue writer Naresh Kathooria, who has delighted us previously too, is once again ready with laugh-a-minute wisecracks. He is smart enough to use topical references like Ukraine to elicit laughter and even smarter to know that catch-lines of previous outings are not to be overused. So, Bhalla’s classic signature dialogue ‘Main kaala coat aiven nahi paayea’ while surfacing every now and then, really brings the house down when he meets a riposte in how exactly has he worn it. Karamjit Anmol as Jass’ uncle gets his quota of funny lines too. Our only grouse is that it’s about time Punjabi cinema would do away with cheap humour targeted at the lowest common denominator. And if you are truly woke, many of the jokes around the hero pretending to marry the wife of his friend may seem socially incorrect. Indeed, here the writer and director try to do a balancing act. The fact that the father does agree to the match is in a way progressive. But, the concept and the treatment are more like one step forward and two backwards. Also, one can’t help but wish that the heroine had been given more substance.

Sonam Bajwa is confined to being no more than eye-candy. No doubt, the Punjabi mutiyaar is no longer the traditional belle and she has truly upped her fashion game. Only if her character had been fleshed out in consonance with her changing avatar! Yet another quibble is that Kathooria, who writes such funny dialogues for others, has been unable to do the same for himself in a part that is singularly unfunny. But for these blips, the two-hour film is fast-paced, edited well (Ravi Dehru and Rohit Dhiman) and cruises towards an amusing climax. An entertainer with loads of songs composed by Jaani, it makes for a perfect weekend outing.

Gippy’s son Shinda Grewal, who sparkles in a key role, might sum up the hilarious proceedings with a tongue-in-cheek oneliner: ‘This is what happens when you follow a kid.’ You can certainly follow this Jatt’s comic antics.

As the film is breaking box-office records, you can break the monotony provided you don’t intellectualise, and leave your thinking cap back home. This madcap presentation will only work if you are ready to shed blinkers and be a little foolish yourself.