'khosla ka ghosla'

9 of us. aditya, saurabh, kewal, ubaid, ninad, ateya, rupali, sonal and me went to fame andheri today to watch an afternoon show of ‘khosla ka ghosla’ one of the many new films about the middle class experience in cities- a ‘multiplex’ film- they call these. this film is set in delhi and follows a typical middle class indian familys' travails as they try and get back a plot from a land mafia don that rightfully belongs to them.

the first half was too much of a downer for a film that claims to be comedy with its rather depressing view of land and corruption as the plot of land is captured by a leering boman irani; while in the second half the great robin hood plan seemed feeble; but the atmosphere of the delhi homes and shops were fantastic. so was the language. middle class lives in middle class spaces- with nokia phones, showcases, nightgowns- the movie reminded me of the ‘real’ spaces in the comic dramas of hrishikesh mukherjee films. and in the end when the ghosla does finally get built its glorious punjabi baroque architecture is a misty eyed yet ironic celebration of all the desires of middle class urban india.