Paghadi - Gujarati Shaan

The pride of Gujarati Film in this delightful story of a turban.

Jignesh Vasavada

4 Stars 

There are some films in Gujarati and then there are Gujarati Films. The former are made in Gujarati and the latter are made for Gujaratis. Paaghadi falls in the second category. 

What a lovely story, so well told, so interestingly communicated. Mark of a true story teller.

But this movie too provided a lot of interesting observations.

1. In case you Googleing the film get the spelling right, it is Paaghadi because there is a Rajasthani movie by the same name, different spelling Pagdi (2016).
2. Why are good Gujarati Movies not promoted? Why can’t they learn this from Yashraj, Dharma, SRK or Salman? It is about time, IIMA started a course to market Gujarati Movies.
3. Intermission had three ‘s’, looks like they wanted to stretch it longer. 
4. This film was a long time into making, no wonder the hero was using an iPhone 5!
5. Does agelessness run in the Sarabhai family? I mean, Revanta looks the same despite this film having been shot long ago.
6. Heck, even the cast, Harsh Vasanani, Ashish Vashi look slimmer and younger (Maulik Nayak was born slim, so nothing to note here).
7. Indians are truly inquisitive. The old man is dying, and our man wants to know what is he communicating, arrey baba call the doctor.
8. So, someone points a gun at the VIP you are guarding and yet, as a policeman, you just watch? Seriously!
9. This is interesting, Revanta and Tillana keep changing clothes but our comedian friend has no change of clothes throughout. Guess they don’t make funny clothes in villages.
10. When the dialogue Bidi toh Swarg ni Sidi was spoken there no Smoking Kills Sign, was it a miss!!

Please ignore all the above, the age of the movie or the small hits and misses, Paaghadi is a lovely story very well told.

When you have a DOP doubling up as a director you know the basics would be classy. Tapan Vyas, scores huge as a Director too. The casting was near perfect. The lead, the characters, the comedians, the costume, locations, the language, Paaghadi got it all right and all this in 1 hr 52 mins flat (including Akshay kumar and his sanitary pads)!

The movie revolves around US returning Aaditya with his friend-giving-confusing-girlfriend-expressions to study meteor shower. Meeting his ailing grandfather, he spills upon a family heirloom secret that is lying in his ancestral village. The entire movie is a delightful journey to the village back and forth with amusing characters peppering it with fun, masti and loads of dhamaal. All this culminating into a lovely Bhavai scene attempting to re-create the Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro Mahabharat scene. Simply Delightful.

Revanta, as I maintained in my previous reviews, right from Dhantya Open, O Tareee to Mijaaj, is the unassuming Gujarati superstar waiting to explode. He does an encore worth appreciating. Tillana Desai completes the perfect pairing giving a lot of depth to her character. But the rockstar of the movie is the Grandfather. Cute, delightful and funny. His scenes bring an instant smile. Creena Shah appears confused between a friend or girlfriend or a girl waiting to be proposed. Bharat Thakkar excels as Nakku kaka. Among the other notables are the thieves (Mayur Chauhan, Maulik, Ashish Vashi & Kakkad) and detectives (Kaamji & Daamji).

Dialogues are the soul of the movie. Pravin Pandya needs to take a bow for wowing us with amazing gems, funny and emotional, all. The story by Rajesh Sharma too has its twists and turns. Logical and palatable. Visually the movie is larger than life. Toh Shu Thayu song rocks, otherwise the music is ok ok.

Paghadi has got it all right, except the marketing. Go and watch this lovely film seeping in Gujarati tradition and fanfare.