Disclaimer: The writer is biased.
Yes, Haapus opens with a full-on Malvani dialogue. Yeah, it won my heart there. And Haapus, the mango itself narrates the story of Anna Gurav, a kundali reading patriarch and his family. Each member is a quirky character. Be it Gurav’s rebellious son, or his speechless mother or his twin daughters who look identical but are as different as chalk and cheese. Each one has their own story to tell. These stories come together through some witty dialogue and in the voice of ‘Haapus’.
The story revolves around the business of ‘haapus’. While the enterprising son (Subodh Bhave) works hard on developing a revolutionary fruit that is a humungous mango that has all the qualities of Haapus, the father (Shivaji Satam) discourages him citing problems with the ‘Kundali’. Enter Master aka school teacher (Makarand Anajpure) who blends into the household and falls in love with one of the twins, Amruta (Madhura Velankar). Meanwhile, the other twin Ankita (Madhura again) is busy romancing the rickshaw dude (Pushkar Shrotri). They all come together to fight the ‘Kundali’ and to succeed in selling ‘Haapus’ while the cunning mango trader Chajed tries to break the family’s morale.
The cast comprises of talented Marathi actors, so the fabulous performances are hardly a surprise. However, most of these actors, especially Makarand Anajpure, have been typecast by the industry and have been seen in too many similar roles. It is highly refreshing to see all the actors out of their comfort zones and personifying characters that are radically different from what they have been portraying in the past.
The background score is quite peppy and complements the film. I personally hated the extra-emo build up to the climax, however, the audience (mind you, the theater was house-full!) was clapping and cheering and loving it. I am not the target audience for this film, so me not liking it doesn’t matter. The fact that the theater is house-full on a Sunday at 3 pm during the film’s second week speaks volumes.
My verdict:
An entertaining package, the film is full-to paisa vasool entertainment. I say watch!
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