By Murtaza Ali Khan
Featured in IMDb Critic Reviews
Firangi is the much-anticipated period drama film starring comedian Kapil Sharma. Produced under the banner of Sharma’s K9 Films, Firangi is co-written and directed by Rajiev Dhingra who previously directed a Punjabi film called Love Punjab (2016). Set in the 1920s India, Firangi costars Ishita Dutta, Monica Gill, Edward Sonnenblick, Kumud Mishra, Aanjjan Srivastav, and Inaamulhaq. Firangi presents the story of a young man named Manga who falls in love with a girl named Sargi belonging to a neighboring village. But, Manga is uneducated and unemployed and so he must first prove his worth to Sargi’s family even as those around him continue to fight the oppressive British rule.
Firangi endeavors to transport us back to the tumultuous days of pre-independence India. It doesn’t take long for the film to establish the period. Amidst the talks of Swadeshi, we meet a corrupt British Officer and a lustful Indian King. And that’s that. Once we agree for the sake of it that it is indeed the 1920s India we must draw our attention to the other aspects of the story. I am convinced that the makers would have seen Lagaan at least half a dozen times so as to get an idea of what rural India would have looked like during the British rule. But, Lagaan is not the only movie that they would have watched to prepare themselves. Another film that they would have certainly watched is Swades. Watching Firangi one is also reminded of the Amitabh Bachchan starrer Mard. Interestingly, it is Bachchan who delivers the prologue and epilogue of Firangi through voiceover narration.
While Kapil seems to try his best to look convincing in the role, he is let down by his limited acting skills. The problem is that these days anyone who becomes famous in showbiz wants to be play the lead in a Bollywood movie. And the worst part is that they don’t even bother to first groom themselves as actors. And it’s absolutely heartbreaking to think that so many good actors are still waiting in the ranks to get their first break. During a recent interaction with veteran actor Govind Namdev, I learnt that he spent about a decade at NSD’s Repertory Company even after the completion of his three-year acting diploma course just to make sure that he was fully prepared to act in films. Now, we all know that Kapil Sharma too has spent years on stage to master his stand-up comedy acts. I wish he took his acting just as seriously.
Overall, Firangi is a film that relies heavily on cliches and does little to offer anything new. Kapil Sharma’s simpleton Manga too is straight out of some Salman Khan film. Another problem with the movie is its long run time of 160 minutes. Firangi gives the feel of a good old television miniseries than a movie. Its strong points are the acting performances of Inaamulhaq, Kumud Mishra, Edward Sonnenblick and Aanjjan Srivastav, and in that order. This is a no-brainer with occasional bursts of laughter. But even the laughter elements look forced for the most part. It’s quite obvious that anyone who goes to watch a Kapil Sharma film would expect some good laughter but Firangi is bound to disappoint if comic relief is what you are looking for.
Rating: 4/10
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Firangi - Official Trailer (YouTube)
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