92. Laavaan Phere; movie review

LAAVAAN PHERE
Cert PG
124 mins
BBFFC advice: Contains infrequent mild bad language

It's been a while since I entered the world of Punjabi comedies and here I was, at Leicester Odeon, trying to digest one after taking in a Hindi rib-tickler.
And, while I coped with Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, I struggled with Smeep Kang's Laavaan Phere.
Indeed, at the intermission, I was even tempted to wind my way back home to Nottingham.
But the every film challenge requires backbone and I manfully saw it through even though I found it dismally unfunny and predictable.
It stars Roshan Prince as a young man who finds the love of his life (Rubina Bajwa) on an internet dating site.
The two problems hie faces are that she lives in Mauritius and she doesn't know that he wants to marry her.
Anyway, undaunted, he spends a fortune flying out to the paradise isle and convinces her that he is the man for her.
That turns out to be his easiest task - both of their families have to be on board too and that takes a much greater feat of persuasion.
Indeed, the film's main thrust surrounds the selfish one-upmanship games played by the families' senior men.
Punjabi comedy regulars B.N. Sharma and Gurpreet Ghuggi are among a cast who resort to the usual face-pulling and mock indignation for laughs.
The saving grace is that the slapping is kept to a minimum.
As a non-Indian I struggle to understand the mirth and misunderstandings derived from wedding celebrations almost as much as I cannot comprehend why anyone would put up with high-maintenance relatives.
However, the tittering in the audience gave the clear impression that the pre-marital too-ing and fro-ing struck a chord among the Punjabi speakers.
Perhaps one day it will resonate with me - but I am not holding out too much hope.

Reasons to watch: If you enjoy the slapstick of Punjabi comedies
Reasons to avoid: Too much slapping and shouting for me

Laughs: None from me but some from native speakers in the audience
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 4/10

Director quote: Smeep Kong: "To me, a film owes most to its writer. And I can't help but be extremely thankful to the man behind my next film, Laavaan Phere, its writer, Pali Bhupinder Singh. It is not easy to work with a director who makes you write six versions of the same story. Thank you Pali Bhaji for bearing with me."

The big question - Why do Punjabis love slapstick comedy so much?

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