New Delhi, March 7: Ratings- * 1/2
Star cast- Sanjay Mishra, Vishwa Mohan Badola, Pragati Pandey, Zakir Hussain, Sitaram Panchal, Ranjan Chabbra, Disha Pandey, Pramod Pathak
Director- Anshul Sharma
Music Director- Manish J. Tipu
The budget session is on and again the nation is disappointed with plans and policies, which are unconvincing. Considering an opportune moment for the release, the makers of the award winning ‘Phas Gaye Re Obama' have taken up the pricerise issue and have tried to portray the problems of the middle class through the comical satire ‘Saare Jahan Se Mehenga'. But it seems that they are themselves struggling with other issues and thus, leave a nil impact on the victims of pricerise.
SJSM is about Puttan Pal (Sanjay Mishra) who is a middle class commuter and works in a government-run Animal Breeding Centre called ‘Pashu Prajanan Kendra' in Sonipat, Harayana. Her wife Noori (Pragati) runs a beauty parlor in her home while Puttan's younger brother Gopal (Ranjan Chabra) is good for nothing.
The family groaning under rising prices discovers an idea of preserving wealth for three years by taking a Rs. 3-lakh loan. Pal gets his brother a loan under a government scheme for ‘unemployed youth who have passed Class X' with the excuse that Gopal wants to set up a shop.
But sooner this idea puts them into trouble when an honest and strict loan inspector played by Zakir Hussain comes to verify the shop for which the loan was borrowed. Now how will they get rid of this inspector? That is how the story progresses further.
Donning the Director's hat for the first time Anshul Sharma has come with a raging issue of rising prices. He tries to bring the versatile middle class group to the fore through his comical-satire. But the flick limited to 100 minutes looks stretched and boring. The first half of just 45 minutes is all about building the characters, their perception and their clever ideas to earn and save income. In one scene, Noori running her beauty parlor cleverly convinces a lady for waxing after luring her by providing a free eyebrow session and finally getting more money in her kitty.
There have been so many documentaries and short films already made which have taken a dig at the policies of the government. Director Anshul Sharma has nothing new to offer in the flick. Looking at the flaws there has been a lazy attempt on the minor issue like storing wealth for three years which according to the flick would be imperishable. Over that the final moralizing session between Puttan family and the police when officials slip into the tears of the family being financially helpless against inflation, the flick dissipates. Or are they giving freedom to the group to borrow more and more fraud loans?
Sanjay Mishra excels in his act. We have seen him in the telly show ‘Office Office' and in a few other flicks proving quintessential. As a middle-class family earner, he projects the middle class problems with ease.
Pragati as a middle class wife is decent in her act.
Ranjan Chhabra doesn't leave any impact. His act looks all the more caricature and finally disappoints.
Suman playing Ranjan's love interest is expressionless and needs a lot of hard work to survive in the industry.
Zakir Hussain as an honest and strict police officer performs well.
Music by Manish J. Tipu is too dim. The songs mostly occasional wouldn't be remembered and the background score is boring.
Editing work by Devendra Murdeshwar is disappointing. There are many jumping of scenes which disturb the flow of the flick.
I'll go with 1.5 stars for ‘Saare Jahaan Se Mehnga'. It's a satirical drama which has nothing to awake you.
