Director: Vijay Krishna Acharya
Key actors: Vicky Kaushal, Manushi Chhillar, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa
Runtime: 2 Hours 40 Minutes
Story: In ‘The Great Indian Family’, a young pundit named Vedvyas Tripathi(played by Vicky Kaushal), who comes from a Brahmin family in Balrampur, discovers that he is a Muslim by birth. Vedvyas a.k.a. Bhajan Kumar as well as Billu, becomes a subject of mockery and goes viral on the internet, tries to learn how to be a Muslim, and has confrontations with his family. Now, what happens after that is a comical crisis of identity.
Pros: ‘The Great Indian Family’ is a not-so-typical comedy. Here, lots of things are original. For instance, the dispute-resolving mechanism is ‘democracy’- they use a voting box to settle issues like whether Billu should be disowned or not. Almost all the characters are more-or-less flawed but likable. From Manushi Chhillar to Kumud Mishra- everyone played their roles well- they add value to the narrative of the movie. Vicky shines quite well in his character. The music composed by Pritam serves its purpose. The background score, by Kingshuk Chakravarty, is impactful and tends to overpower the scenes at times.
Cons: The core idea of ‘The Great Indian Family’ is not unique. We have seen a similar concept in ‘Dharam Sankat Mein’ (2015), a few scenes will remind you of ‘PK’ (2014) or ‘Oh My God’ (2012). A few dialogues, while contributing to the movie’s secular message, could have been crafted in a better way.
Watch the trailer of 'The Great Indian Family':
Conclusion: Vijay Acharya is back with his new movie- but this time it’s a comedy unlike his previous ones(Thugs of Hindostan, Dhoom-3, Tashan). ‘The Great Indian Family’ succeeds in being not just a family drama but also a reflection of our own prejudices and beliefs. Despite a few drawbacks, this movie depicts a robust message. It deserves to be watched.
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