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29 March 2024

Movie Review: ‘Ferrari Ki Sawaari’ zooms straight to the heart

Published
By Sneha May Francis

Despite its modest casting, with no A-lister in the lead, and a simple storyline, Rajesh Mapuskar’s directorial debut ‘Ferrari Ki Sawaari’ soars to great heights because it has its heart in the right place.

It’s a film that stays firmly grounded and real, unadulterated by Bollywoodism, focusing purely on a heartening tale and exceptional performances, without eyeing for commercial gains. And, that’s the reason why ‘Ferrari Ki Sawaari’ is such a noble film.

It’s predictable, yes, but that shouldn’t be held against it, in an industry where every other film is about ‘love’. That being said, this isn’t a tale that’s exploring the unexpected, but it’s a tale that’s exposing only the dreams of a middle-class family. And, Rajkumar Hirani’s fun dialogues elevated this ride with the perfect zest.

If there’s one grouch, it’s the length of the film. A few snips would’ve gone a long way in tightening the narrative. The music, which isn’t much to write home about, should’ve been skipped altogether, allowing only Vidya Balan’s dance number in the show reel. It fits in perfectly with the plot, and wins extra points for not copying raunchy ‘item number’ moves.

Early on, we are introduced to the plain, honest life of school-going Kayo and his doting Parsi dad Rusy, short for Rustom, as they team up to win a slot in the cricket coaching camp at Lords. In spite of his low-paying job as a clerk and his unconvinced, grumpy dad Deboo, Rusy’s determined find a way, that’s not dishonest, to fund the huge fee for the UK trip, so that his super-talented son doesn’t miss out on the rare opportunity.

With no other option left, Rusy’s unknowingly sucked into a crazy deal where he’ll win the cash, enough for the cricket camp, if he helps to rent out a Ferrari for a boisterous politician’s son’s wedding. With just a rickety scooter to his name, Rusy is faced with the incredible feat of sourcing the Ferrari and making it work for him without getting anyone in trouble.

What ensues is a mad chase that links famed cricketer Sachin Tendulkar’s Ferrari to Kayo’s big dreams.

Sharman Joshi flaunts his versatility impressively. He has handled Rusy with aplomb, unthinkable for an actor who has found only supporting roles till date. Whether it’s secretly marking ‘K’ on a cricket bat in a sports store for a later purchase, or humouring the politician’s idiotic son and his cronies, or shedding buckets of tears in front of journalists, Sharman’s pitch remains controlled and faultless. Boman Irani as the grouchy and cheese-noodle-loving Deboo, who refuses to budge from the front of the telly, is impeccable, barring a few scenes where he does go off-key.

Young Kayo finds the perfect match in Ritvik Sahore, who swings his cricket dream and handles newfound love and respect for his irritable granddad with great maturity.

The real stars of ‘Ferrari Ki Sawaari’ are, however, the supporting cast. Seema Pahwa as the brash fix-it lady who’d go to any length to find the Ferrari, Paresh Rawal as the cunning Dilip Dharmadhikari, Satyadeep Misra as the engaging cricket coach, Aakash Dabhade as the jittery househelp who unknowingly gives away the Ferrari keys to the wrong hands, Deepak Shirke as the gullible watchman who allowed the car to leave the building without any check and Nilesh Divekar as the spoilt son of an influential politician are purely top-class.

It’s a sincere movie that’s come our way after a very long time, and one that deserves a big round of applause.