Ghar Banduk Biryani review: Nagraj Manjule’s film is where banduk and biryani feel like home

3/5

Story:

Pallam has lost everything due to the unfair justice system. Raya Patil hopes to change that. While Pallam’s will to kill everyone and rule by himself is strong, Raya is stubborn too. Who will win?

Review:

Set in Kolagad, Maharashtra, Ghar Banduk Biryani is a masala entertainer from the word go. There’s drama (sometimes overdrama), action, romance, songs and visuals that grapple you. If you’re a fan of such cinema, this one can be a good weekend watch.

Sayaji Shinde is a hoodlum caught in the midst of police firing. After losing the person he loves, Pallam becomes someone else. Even in tragedy, he becomes comical. Only Sayaji could pull off a role like that.

Akash Thosar is introduced as the chef Raju looking to get married. His character is one that confuses you and still, wins you over. The actor does justice to his role even though you don’t instantly find the wow factor with him.

Sayli Patil as Laxmi has little to offer. She is just one of the females in the film, even if she plays a major part of Raju’s life.

Filmmaker Nagraj Manjule himself appears in the role of inspector Raya Patil in a full-on entertainer scene. The scene stretches for just a little but introduces his character well.

He is almost as impressive as Ajay Devgn in Singham. The scenes featuring him are just commercialized and he pulls them off well too.

Even if loud, the film is entertaining for most parts. The music is rare and does not disturb your viewing experience. In fact, a few songs help take the story forward.

Akash and Sayaji's chemistry is very hilarious. It is almost like one is attracted to the other, as more than friends.

The film has many lowest moments but few highs. Despite that, it is captivating enough.

The story is a cat-and-mouse chase, which, even though tried-and-tested often, still works for this movie. It leads to, as you can expect, Sayaji vs Nagraj. That continues till the very last moment, where they confront one another. Sayaji is adorable right until the end.

The action and visuals come together towards the last few scenes. The thing with this film though, is that it focuses on commercializing content rather than focusing on the issue. It does not move away from the topic but doesn’t delve deep into it either. So, if you were looking to know more about naxalism in Maharashtra, this movie does not help you understand that.

The second installment of the film is spoken about. With that, Ghar Banduk Biryani ends on a big cliffhanger.

Verdict:

The Hemant Jangal Atwade directorial is for those who love masala entertainers. There isn’t much or rather any kind of educating when it comes to this movie and so, if entertainment is your purpose for watching films, go for this one over the weekend.