Review of the Gujarati Film – Passport

Disclaimer: Before you scroll down to find how many stars or what numerical rating I’ve given this film, let me make it clear that I believe in descriptive reviews rather than a quantitative verdict. Some of the past Gujarati Film Review Blogs to know how I review:

• Bas Ek Chance – http://anandbhate.in/2015/10/movie-review-bas-ek-chance/
• Chhello Divas – http://anandbhate.in/2015/11/beware-read-this-before-watching-the-chhello-divas/(Here my blog was the Official Blog Partner of the film)
• Hu Tu Tu Tu – http://anandbhate.in/2016/01/film-review-hu-tu-tu-tu-aavi-ramat-ni-rutu/
• Prem Rang, Fillam & 3 Doba – http://anandbhate.in/2016/05/film-reviews-for-the-mug/
• Romeo and Radhika – http://anandbhate.in/2016/07/review-of-the-gujarati-film-romeo-and-radhika/
• Wrong Side Raju – http://anandbhate.in/2016/09/review-of-the-gujarati-film-wrong-side-raju/

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Few years ago on a family trip to the U.K., a dad’s friend misplaced his passport. With no smart-phone or a concept of Google search being prevalent then, all we did was filing the loss report at the nearest police station and then contacting the Indian Embassy at London. The latter helped us in everything – from issuing a temporary passport to doing all the legal formalities. What if something similar had happened to someone in India today? And say that person is an American citizen. If a decade ago this could have been solved easily, I am sure it won’t be a big fuss today. So in case you don’t know the powers of your country’s embassy and/or you haven’t read this article “What to do if you lose your passport while traveling abroad”, you might not find a logical loophole in the Gujarati movie “Passport” which has released today.

The film revolves around Kabir (played by Malhar Thakar) and Anna (played by Anna Ador). It took a bit over 45 minutes to set the plot, and a similar duration went on to depict the romance which is not the crucial element of the plot. So Anna, an American student comes to Ahmedabad to explore the city’s culture and heritage. This learning wraps up in a song and a few drone shots. Well, she couldn’t do the exploration since she loses her purse that has her money, an iPhone, a bracelet and her Passport. Kabir, along with his college friends Shyam (played by Ujjval Dave) and Aditi (played by Lipi Goyal) help her in getting it back! As I said earlier, a basic Google search could have avoided this whole fuss, but then a movie had to be made, right? So after setting aside my logical glasses, I decided to accept the fact that internet would’ve been banned (since it is shot in Gujarat). After this, the movie made sense and the brilliant one-liners made it look like a good show. The applause and hooting in these one-liners definitely makes your paisa totally vasool.

Music

You will love the music of this movie. I hadn’t heard the songs before so I couldn’t hum them the way people around me did in the cinema hall. I’m sure I’ll listen to them more often now. The ‘Awesome Amdavad’ song is a delight – both visual and audio.

Notable Performances

• Malhar Thakar – This movie has been making news ever since, mostly and surely because of the lead actor Malhar Thakar. After getting all the love for his performance in Chhello Divas and the critical appreciation for Thai Jashe, there were a lot of expectations from Malhar and he hasn’t disappointed. His performance is stellar and the viewers will see a new side of him in this movie. A refreshing change from his previous two flicks, this movie has made him evolve as an actor and you will certainly love him on the screen. It would have been tough to endure this movie had there been any other actor (however, the movie isn’t as slow and long as Thai Jashe).

• Anna Ador – It was a delight to see her talk in Gujarati. Though her language was expected to be accented, what is appreciable is the fact that Anna and the film-makers have put in the efforts to have her dialogues in the regional language. This is definitely a welcome change! For her acting, she has a gleaming screen presence with flawless dialogue delivery.

• Jayesh More – After creating a lasting impact in the audiences’ minds in Polam Pol and Wrong Side Raju, Jayesh More has delivered one more impeccable performance. It wouldn’t be surprising if this ‘Kalakar’ be titled ‘Mr. Perfectionist’ in the days to come!

Overall, “Passport” has joined the bandwagon of comedy films prevalent right now in our regional cinema. Though it has additional elements of romance, tragedy and emotions in fair amounts, they do not strike the right chords. I wouldn’t consider suspense as an element in the movie, because there was nothing that created it, sadly. The movie is definitely a family entertainer. If the festive mood is still afresh in your minds and pockets, you can consider this movie as a tool to spend some good time with family.