Khosla Ka Ghosla Movie Review: A Masterclass in Character writing

Released in 2006, Khosla ka Ghosla is a rare gem of a movie whose humor of course, stands the test of time, but so does its poignancy. Rarely do you see a comedy as layered as Khosla ka Ghosla. The title is self-explanatory, exploring both relationships within the 'Ghosla' of the Khosla family - the father and son being at the center of the emotional plot; and the physical manifestation of that house which is at the center of the dramatic plot.

We meet an aging father KK Khosla (Anupam Kher) who is struggling to connect with his coming-of-age son Chiraunji Lal aka Cherry (Parvin Dabas), who looks for life beyond the shackles of mediocrity he feels bound by and is blessed with an unfortunate name, a constant reminder of his inability to fit in. This tension reaches its peak when Cherry decides to change his name (and removing himself further from the family's identity) and move to the States, crushing KK Khosla's dream of buying a home for the family. As property dealer Khurana (Boman Irani) swindles KK out of the land for his aforementioned house, the adversity, instead of breaking them, unexpectedly forces them to come together. A father, not able to convey his helplessness and longing for his son lest it affect his ego; and a son, who is looking for a life beyond what he knows, never having really looked at just how fragile his parents are and how much he is needed; are both confronted with their truths and shortcomings.

Unlike a lot of blockbuster movies where apart from the main leads, the side characters often do not have much of a personality, this movie does not waste its characters or its very talented actors. A possibly trope-y comedic character like Bunty (Ranvir Shorey) is given surprising depth at a time of crisis with their father in jail, when he advises his younger brother to leave the mess, telling him he will take care of the situation. He is more emotionally attached to Cherry as he awkwardly asks his younger brother to call him and stay in touch when he lands in America, in the typical bhai- way we are all so familiar. That is the thing- these characters don't feel like characters at all, but people you and I are so in tune with, we know what they would say next, what they would find funny. And doing that within the span of 2.5 hours is no small feat. Another example is how Sudha (Cherry's mom) puts herself in the situation whenever she senses a conflict threatening to brew between KK and Cherry, trying to disperse the tension as women so often end up doing in traditional households. We see a subtle questioning of the double standards of Indian households when KK Khosla invites his sons for a whiskey but asks his daughter to get a Coke in the kitchen with her mother. This scene is played for laughs as he is visibly uncomfortable when his daughter questions him why, and he is let go because he is just trying to fit in with his son; but the scene does lightly touch upon the reality of the awkwardness for parents when their children confront them instead of agreeing to traditional gender roles. These little details are not called to attention and might even go unnoticed in the first watch, but they create the homely atmosphere that makes us care for these people even more and root for their victory at the end.

Then comes the driving force of the movie- the scheme Cherry and his friend/agent Asif hatch to deceive Khurana and get money from him by fake- selling him a piece of land. A key theme of the movie is on how the powerful keep getting more powerful by squashing the common man. While I will skip the plot details for the movie review, the character of Khurana (after KK Khosla) is what sells the movie for me. We explore every aspect of Khurana's personality- the pretense of reverence for Khosla with the undercurrent of threat, his scheming with the broker and his real face of greed, his obvious (and hilarious) admiration of and attempt to partner up with Sethi (actually Bapu), his lecherous stare at both women on the site. You know his character in and out by the end of the movie, he is a whole person in his own right. Hell, if you are a Punjabi, you would probably have met him in real life. Fun fact: Boman Irani in preparation for his character drove around in his car listening to recordings of interviews with property dealers. (Watch: Boman Irani on being a crooked property dealer in the film 'Khosla ka Ghosla' - YouTube. Disclaimer: The interview is in Hindi)

Still from the moment Khurana first meets Sethi

We start the journey with Cherry from a place of detachment and aloofness. In the beginning, he displays an inability to process and convey his emotions, his ‘friend’ dragging him around, his family excited for the plot he has no intention to stay in, as he is reduced to a passive role in his own life. As the movie progresses, he is actively making decisions and starts confronting genuine emotions buried deep, stays back for his family, literally and metaphorically supports his father and communicates his love for his selfless partner Meghna (who by the way is another really pleasant presence), albeit still with a nudge.

At the heart of the movie, however, is KK Khosla. In what is probably my favorite scene of the movie, he questions the ethics of Cherry's scheme, and brings a surprising clarity to what it is they are really doing - giving up their ethics to become Khurana himself. When the plan is almost successful, Bapu has last minute jitters and does not take the huge sum of money Khurana presents to him, money he had never seen before in his life. At this crucial point, while the entire family berates him, KK comes to his defense with the line'Sharaafat kehte hain ise' (This is what decency looks like). His moral compass and honesty are what give him pride, and having those qualities questioned and worse, put him at a disadvantage while the scheming people benefit in the world, makes him uncomfortable with the plan Cherry cooks. This quality is also what makes it all the more satisfying when in the closing scene he is the one who is laughing the loudest (apart from an almost maniacal and hilarious Meghna).

Annie for your thoughts (this is a section where I add some random observations):

1. The scene where KK Khosla grumbles at having to eat pizza for dinner and then picks up two slices oddly makes me always crave pizza.

2. Bapu (Navin Nischol) just looks rich. His transition from the terrified, under- confident Bapu to self-assured, suave Sethi is entirely convincing.

3. Top tier scene: Drunk Khurana trying to stop the car and giving vague instructions to the driver as Sethi and his assistant try to leave his house. Also, his ideas for future joint ventures: "Shopping complaax, multiplaax, going karting"

4. Sethi in character: "Aap chup hone ka kya lenge"