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.  

Shu Thayu - Bus Kai Nai

Shu Thayu…Saheb…Tamne Shu Thayu

Jignesh Vasavada

2.5 Stars 

Ahmedabad: August 25, 2018

Expectations are sure a huge burden to carry. The shoulders of Krishnadev Yagnik and team sure seem strong to have been sculpted to carry the same.

So, when Shu Thayu was announced, it was a weighed with the huge burden of the comeback team of Chello Divas (yes, the same film which has more than 25 different versions disguised as Urban Gujarati cinema). Did it really carry the burden well, or are the team themselves saying, Shu Thayu?

Read on, but not before my mandatory 10 observations.

1. Has Malhar lost age and Kinjal gained glamour? My God, what good and nice looking pair!!!

2. The premiere was like a rich wedding party with a proper colour theme. You could actually see bystanders asking, Shu Thayu?

3. Looks like the sequel of Chello Divas is such a huge burden that they even gave Michael the same quantum of role as in the original film.

4. So, there is progress. Helmets are visible with bikes. Only that the heroine’s head is cheaper and less important than the hero’s because only he is wearing the helmet.

5. Every scene is a magnificent product placement. You can actually count the brands, the locations and the products that make their appearance and disappearance.


6. Malhar desperately needs a dialogue (delivery & content) makeover. The stereotyping is also stereotyped.

7. What is By Swear of your mom? I assume, Maa Naa Sum? Dal is lentil soup (for the puritan English speaker) not curry.

8. Over-ambition or pure confidence, the film has sub-titles with the hope of targeting non-Gujarati audience.

9. The producer seems to have used the Karsandas location for a hospital, looks more like a swasthya kendra with MRI facility.

10. So, what is finally the heroine’s name, Deepika, Dipali, or Dipli? You keep wondering all the time.



The madness begins from the word go. The loud gets louder and the overacting gets exaggerated and the film commences. But then you have been promised an unFORGETable laugh riot, so you begin adjusting and taking in, as Manan expresses his love and intention to marry 3D (Deepika/Dipali/Dipli) to her father. A street smart, smart alec fast forwards us through his funny journey of love and acceptance and manages to get a yes and the film begins.

Few situations later our man hits his head on the stone and the audience too feels the pain, all the way to the end. The injury is multi-pronged, the dialogue writer’s head too seems to have been hit, the screenplay writer’s head too, the location guy’s head as well as the gag writer’s head. All of them suffer amnesia/loss of memory, speed, innovation, flow and the product goes for a toss.

In the state of forgetfulness and foolhardiness, Manan’s reception and marriage take place (yes, in the same order) and his friends help him through the entire journey.

What was being built up for a laughter riot, emotion of friends, ingenuity and love turns laborious, unbearable and sometimes funny. There are occasions of laughter and some real good slapstick but most times you are engulfed by the lack of innovation in the scenes and dialogues. The film gives you fun in installments like the Reception sequence, the initial falling in love scene, most of the interactions with Mitra Gadhvi and the friends.


Malhar sometimes even seems to be mumbling dialogues. While he does put on good acts, it just does not add up, after all there is only this much you can do with 4-5 dialogues that have been written for you. Mitra Gadhvi (Chikna) excels in a great performance. His character, his performance, his timings are just spot on. Aarjav Trivedi, drooling in his delivery is pretty artificial, Yash does a good job while the beautiful, glamorous Kinjal Rajpriya is under-utilized. Rest of the characters have a forgettable outing.

The screenplay, the story, the dialogues fall very short of expectations not giving us enough meat to chew on for the 2hrs plus something time. Music is present but nothing stands out. Songs, have good lyrics but not very hummable, at least not in the first go. 

Krishnadev Sir, Chello Divas rocked, Karsandas super rocked, even Vandha Vilas, I personally found it hilarious, but Shu Thayu forces me ask, Saheb, Tamne Shyu Thayu?