260. Chandigarh Amritsar Chandigarh; movie review

CHANDIGARH AMRITSAR CHANDIGARH
Cert PG
107 mins
BBFC advice: Contains mild bad language

I am well behind in my coverage of Indian movies in 2019, so high praise to Amazon for starting to show subtitled Punjabi films online.
And, in a double slice of good fortune, Chandigarh Amritsar Chandigarh was, mercifully, less than two hours.
I have read a fan review which suggests that cinema audiences were rolling around to the 'hilarious' antics of Sargun Mehta and Gippy Grewal.
Unfortunately, they left me stony-faced. Possibly, because such romances built of misunderstandings are such common fare in Indian cinema or because I didn't grasp its cultural nuances.
Mehta plays a young woman from the bright lights of Chandigarh who has come to Amritsar to tell her intended that she is calling off an arranged marriage.
However, from the opening few minutes, it is clear that her day is not going to plan.
Indeed, an ongoing gag surrounds the rickshaw driver (Rajpal Yadav) who insists on taking her fare from the railway station and with whom she mistakenly leaves her mobile phone.
She is brusque towards him and even more towards a street cricketer (Grewal) who offers to walk her to her betrothed's address.
Grewal's character gives his trademark lopsided smile and, from that moment on becomes her stalker or romantic suitor depending on your viewpoint.
Thereafter, she plays hard to get while simultaneously telling the stranger her life story.
It is never explained why he is not at work or even if he has a job - or if it is, I may have dropped off
I note that Karan R Guliani's film has a rating of 8/10 on Internet Movie Database and can only presume there are a host of cultural references which I missed.
I found it lacking in zest and filling the relatively short time with cliches.

Laughs: I'm told there were plenty for audiences but none for me
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 4/10

Did you know? Sargun Mehta was both born and schooled in Chandigarh.

The final word. Sargun Mehta: "The entire baggage of the film is on my and Gippy('s) shoulders. It’s a beautiful film that I thoroughly enjoyed doing. I hope that people will enjoy it just as much."

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