Patiala House
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Akshay Kumar wants to play for the English cricket team but his strict and Indian-at-heart father won’t allow it. Read the review to find out more.
Parghat Singh Kahlon alias Gattu (Akshay Kumar) is a second-generation Indian living in London. Son of Gurtej Singh Kahlon (Rishi Kapoor), Gattu is an excellent cricketer and is very passionate about the game. However, he sacrifices his passion for the sake of his father’s happiness. Gurtej Singh, who is head of a large joint family, hates the Englishmen because they had perpetrated atrocities on them when they had tried to settle in London. There were racist attacks against Gurtej Singh’s family but he had managed to protect the large family. Over the years, Gurtej Singh had become bitter about the Englishmen and was, therefore strictly against the idea of Gattu playing cricket for the team of England. He had set up a store for Gattu to look after when he grew up, and Gattu, like an obedient son, was toeing the line decided by his strict father.
All of Gattu’s cousins were also scared of going against Gurtej Singh’s wishes and had suppressed dreams and desires which they couldn’t pursue or fulfill because Gattu’s example of an obedient son was always thrown at them.
One day, Gattu gets an offer to play cricket for England. Around the same time, Gattu meets Simran (Anuskha Sharma) who makes him realise the foolhardiness in letting someone else decide the course his life would take. Simran asks Gattu’s family members (except his dad, Gurtej Singh) to coax him to accept the cricket offer but Gattu doesn’t want to hurt his father’s feelings. Gattu’s cousins also tell him that if he’d revolt and have his way, each of them could then also pursue his/her dream. Finally, Gattu relents and joins the England team.
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Bend it like Akshay
Patiala House is the best work director Nikhil Advani and Akshay Kumar have done recently. It is an old-fashioned Hindi movie with big drama, solid dialogue-baazi and moments that are genuinely moving and rousing.
Akshay as Gattu, a forlorn man who has watched his dreams die, is effectively restrained and refreshingly sincere. But all of this is servicing a story that is so silly and strained that it’s hard to get swept up in the histrionics.
The central conflict in the film is between Gattu and his father, Bauji, played by Rishi Kapoor. Bauji seems like a long-lost sibling of Chaudhary Baldev Singh, the stern patriarch from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jeyenge.
There's an army of other minor stars, who all play various chachajis, chachijis, and bachchajis. And there's an even larger army of cricketers, from West Indies' Kieron Pollard to Australian Andrew Symonds and Dirk Nannes. Former players Nasser Hussain, David Gower and Graham Gooch play English selectors. The point of the movie is to bring Master Akshay back to the crease to play for England 17 years after he gave up his dream to run a shop in Southhall. Master Akshay will of course achieve it and help England win the T-20 World Cup but not before various things happen--Hard Kaur is transformed from bhajan singer to rapper, Anushka Sharma proves yet again why she is the brightest spark among the younger actresses and Akshay proves that less is more when it comes to his acting.
Everyone eats rajma chawal, hopes for a Yash Copra wedding, has an alter ego, and Akshay gets a chance to say his one big speech--this one is about aap jee sakte hain, hamen to sirf saans lene ki permission hai. With lines written in Yash Chopra land--kal chup ek biwi thi, aaj bol ek maa rahi hai; and gaaliyon ka shor taaliyon main chhup jayega--and enough cricket to keep the kids happy, this is a family drama for the family.
