110. Gol Gappe; movie review

 

GOL GAPPE

Cert PG

131 mins

BBFC advice: Contains mild bad language, threat, violence

Oh, blimey... Punjabi audiences are still lapping up the slapstick comedy of Binnu Dhillon and BN Sharma but it continues to fail to tickle my funny bone.

Gol Gappe reaches for all of the usual common denominator jokes which I might have found slightly funny when I was five years old.

But nowadays, I can't say I see any humour in toilet gags, mock drunkenness or characters charging around Laurel and Hardy-style without Stan and Ollie's timing or panache.

Smeep Kang's movie is set in a rundown sweet shop, run at a considerable loss by drunkard Nathuram (Sharma).

His freeloading lodger (Dhillon) is keeping out of the way of his fiancee (Ihana Dhillon) because he has told very tall tales about his income.

The pair are quickly joined by another hopeless case (Rajat Bedi) who also owes piles of cash that he can't pay.

After the initial, lying, ducking, diving, hitting, slapping, getting drunk and wild misunderstandings, they hit upon a ludicrous get-rich scheme.

This involves them pretending to be the gangster kidnappers of a dodgy doctor's wife.

Thus, added into the mix are fatuous impersonations and fancy dress as well as the inevitable incessant shouting which accompanies every Punjabi comedy.

Do they presume that the audience is hard of hearing or do people in the Punjab really communicate in this way?

Anyway, suffice to say this one of my least favourite movies of 2023 so far.

Reasons to watch: If you are into slapstick

Reasons to avoid: Banal and shouty

Laughs: None for me

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 2.5/10

Did you know? Binnu Dhillon is known for his comic roles he started his journey in Punjabi cinema with villains, starting in 2007's Mitti Wajaan Mardi.

The final word. Smeep Kang: "Get ready to dive into the spicy mix of entertainment and romance." Instagram

Share this post