ishi Kapoor’s last outing in Sharmaji Namkeen has him playing a 58-year-old widower, who finds himself at a loose end after he seeks early retirement. Written and directed by Hitesh Bhatia, the film stars Rishi Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Suhail Nayyar and Isha Talwar in pivotal roles. The film premiered on Amazon Prime Video on March 31. In a short prelude Ranbir Kapoor explains that the film was very close to his father’s heart but unfortunately, his deteriorating health did not allow him to continue and Paresh Rawal had to take over.

Before watching this film, I wondered how the director had managed to cast two actors in the same role. Kudos to Rishi Kapoor and Paresh Rawal for making the transition between the two characters very smooth. It does not interfere with the momentum or pacing of the film. Paresh Rawal is also an actor par excellence and he manages to leave his mark, despite the film being touted as Rishi Kapoor’s last and being marketed as such.

Sharma Ji (Rishi Kapoor and Paresh Rawal) post retirement; misses his work and although many of his family members give him various suggestions, nothing really appeals to him. His sons who want him to sit at home, suggest that he should find a white-collar job if he is bored. Sharma Ji is not very educated or highly qualified and finds himself at a disadvantage when he has to compete with much younger people for jobs where age and gender are not barriers. He has a circle of friends and one day, one of his friends persuades him to cook for a couple of ladies at a religious gathering. He discovers, to his dismay, that it is a social get together where a group of ladies dance, play cards, eat, gossip and generally socialise.

Sharma Ji is understandably appalled, but when a lady in the group asks him to come and cook for a get-together at her place, he is again roped into it by his friend who convinces him to do what he enjoys and turn a deaf ear to what the society says or thinks. This becomes a regular feature, and he befriends this group of ladies who get together every now and then to chat, gossip or vent, share their ambitions and dreams and generally, take a break from the mundane routine of life. Sharma Ji starts cooking at these coffee parties and becomes a part of the group. He is particularly attracted to Veena Manchanda (Juhi Chawla), a widow who has not had an easy life.

The father-son relationship is also explored and insights into life post-retirement shared, where many individuals feel that they have become useless and are nothing more than a piece of furniture in the house. The brain does not stop working at sixty, but the obsession with holding a respectable job and maintaining a status in society sometimes prevents older people from living a life free of societal shackles.

Sharma Ji starts enjoying life and his discontentment and dissatisfaction with life vanishes. At his birthday party where the entire family is gathered, a video of Sharma Ji is uploaded and circulated on social media where he is frolicking around with the ladies of the group. When he reveals the truth, his two sons are appalled, especially the older one who is planning to get hitched to a colleague who belongs to an extremely wealthy and influential family. He keeps pressing his father to move out of the house and the area they live in. Secretly, he books a flat and makes a deposit without informing him.

The father and son have a falling out. Veena encourages Sharma Ji to be honest with his family as she believes that an attempt at living a life based on lies and falsehood eventually backfires. She speaks from experience, as she had discovered her husband’s affair with a colleague when they died in an accident while returning from a medical conference.

Sharma Ji’s son lands at the police station following an altercation with his builder, who is in a legal fix due to construction on illegally occupied property. Sandeep Sharma (his son) has booked a flat and deposited a sum of 1.5 million rupees as a token amount (all his savings) with the builder, who refuses to return it. How Veena uses her contacts and how the group of ladies come to Sharma Ji’s and his son’s aid forms the rest of the film.

Juhi Chawla acts well and looks lovely. Rishi Kapoor and Paresh Rawal both do complete justice to their role and the development of the character does not suffer on account of two actors playing it. The supporting cast is good and the film touches on a number of sensitive issues. The father-son relationship is explored well and insights shared into life post-retirement, where many individuals feel that they have become useless and are nothing more than a piece of furniture in the house. The brain does not stop working at sixty, but this obsession with holding a respectable job and maintaining a status in society sometimes prevents many old people from finally living a life free of societal shackles.

The running time is nearly two hours and Sharmaji Namkeen keeps you entertained throughout. It is a light film which touches on many issues, but does not attempt to preach or sermonise. Enjoy the ride and liven up a boring summer afternoon with some fun and frolic with Sharma Ji.

The writer is an educationist and can be reached at gaiteeara@hotmail.com