Ekkees Topon Ki Salaami

While my first movie of the day (Tamanchey) had very little even remotely good, my 2^nd one yesterday was almost the opposite.  I say almost because like a lot of cinema these days, it had a lot going for it but the finishing was just not there.  It left me with mixed feelings but definitely more good than bad.

2 things that stand out for Ekkees Topon Ki Salaami (ETKS) would be the story and the performances.  You may ask what else goes into making a good movie but that is something that we will leave for another day. For now, it would suffice to say that while story and acting form a chunk of good cinema, the other aspects are what contribute to making it great.

Purushottam Narayan Joshi (Anupam Kher) is a Jamaadar – a mosquito man – the kinds who goes all over town with a blower that spews white smoke that smells like phenyl being burnt? The ones that you and I as kids used to dance our way through because it is mostly harmless.  Remember? Aah – the simple pleasures of life JJJ.

So our man has been serving for 37 years.  In that time, he hasn’t taken a single bribe.  He hasn’t taken a single day off.  He has performed his duties at a paltry salary.  He lives in accommodation provided by the government that he will need to give up once he retires which will be shortly.

He has 2 grown up boys – Shekhar (Manu Rishi Chadha) and Subhash (Divyendu Sharma).  The former is a government servant and the latter is a political worker with the party of the incumbent super-corrupt Chief Minister Daya Shankar Pandey (Rajesh Sharma).  Purushottam of course doesn’t approve of the values followed by his sons but gets by and keeps trying to push them to take the right way and not the easy way.

On his last day at work, PNJ is wrongfully accused of selling his blower off and is suspended.  PNJ cannot handle the accusation and eventually passes away.  But before he does so, over a fight with his sons, he demands a 21 gun salute before his last rites – Ekkees Topon ki salaami.

The 2^nd part of EKTS are the superb performances from almost every single person in the cast.  From Neha Dhupia who plays the CM’s mistress called Jaya Prabha to even the small role played by Sudhir Pandey as Shekhar’s father-in-law, every single member of the cast has acted really well.  To me, Divyendu Sharma was the big revelation – showing that he is above cheesy roles like those in Chasme Baddoor.

But, the good things have to end and ETKS falls prey to the age old problem with Indian cinema – attention to detail.  Aditi Sharma’s make up is a bit too much for her role.  Certain aspects are too far-fetched like wading through a sewer with your father’s dead body.  I am sure that debutante director Ravindra Gautam added this to entertain but it was a bit over the top for my taste.

The movie could have done with some more editing.  It was at least 20 minutes too long for my comfort.  Ram Sampath’s music was rustic as always but this time around it failed to leave a lasting impression.  In all, EKTS was an enjoyable movie and worth watching over this weekend.  6 on 10.  Could have been so much better.

Watch the trailer on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wvmCPpj8yo