A versatile and an exemplary actor that he is, Anupam Kher has portrayed variety of characters authoritatively on screen, to receive appreciation from film lovers scattered all over the world. His latest film ‘Shiv Shastri Balboa’ finds him in the title role. The film is now available on Amazon Prime . Written and directed by Ajayan Venugopalan this film presents Anupam Kher in the role of Shiv Shastri a retired Bank officer, who is a great fan of ‘Rocky’ movies.
When Shiv Shastri moves to USA to join his son’s family at their request, he comes across starnge experiences in the beginning, especially when he goes out alone . In this film, former child actor Jugal Hansraj plays Shiv Shastri’s son Rahul who is seen more than happy to welcome his father to USA. Even Shiv Shastri is looked after well by Rahul and his wife.
Soon, Shiv Shastri comes across a middle aged woman Elsa( Neena Gupta) . Elsa (Neena Gupta) originally from Hyderabad is working as a housekeeper with an Indian family living there. There is lot of free time for both of them to exchange pleasantries, which offer good entertainment to the viewers. Shiv Shastri, otherwise a happy man, decides to help Elsa from the problems faced by her and goes on an unexpected road trip with her, only to reinvent himself.
The humour filled sequences are well executed by the director in the screenplay and the dialogues are well written. The entry of a singer and Petrol pump owner Sinmohan Singh ( Sharib Hashmi) is very timely in the film, when both Shiv Shastri and Elsa are in a big trouble. The performances of these three important characters are simply superb, with Anupam Kher inviting all the attention with his gifted acting skills and excellent body language from beginning till the end of the film. Neena Gupta has used her Hyderabadi Hindi accent very well in this film.
The film has been shot at some beautiful locations in USA by cinematographer Joshua Ausley with background music provided by Alokananda Dasgupta. Perfect editing work by Praveen Prabhakar makes this film more presentable. Certainly a worth watch film for all age groups.
Rating (***1/2)