Crazy Cukkad Family

Headless chicken running amok in an old dilapidated farm. That's roughly how the action turns out in Crazy Cukkad Family. Some of it is actually hilarious. Most of it is expectedly banal. End of the day, this is a comedy with top billing from writer-turned-actor Swanand Kirkire. Its limited budget ensures an apparent lack of filmmaking finesse. It all boils down to having an acquired taste. If you do fancy a no-frills comedy this one might make you happy.

The premise is fairly simple. There's a dysfunctional family with its head, the grouchy father being in a coma. And his four children have just one thing on their mind - to inherit the property. In more ways than one, CCF is a comment on the materialistic nature of men. Of how the belief that money trumps relationships does hold true. But what really sets the film apart is it's thoughtful inventiveness. The writers add a bit of surprise twist to most ordinary situations. Like the instance of the gay marriage. Or the young couple pretending to be married for green card purposes. These are deft touches in the script that make it topical and relevant. But the situational comedy used to depict these situations is not too fresh. The very concept of a dying man and his will has been a source for comedies since time immemorial. A man who doesn't appreciate his own wife or a father who doesn't appreciate his kids aren't the freshest ideas of the year. And that's where CCF attains the dreaded 'same old' quality.

What actually saves the film is its dialogue. Most lines are genuinely inventive. And it helps that Swanand Kirkire, Shilpa Shukla and the rest of the cast of CCF get their comedic timing bang on. Swanand especially looks like a natural actor. Its as if the leading lyricist of b-town was in the wrong profession. He sure has a career in front of the camera.

Even though the film has a few laugh out loud moments and a peppy pace of narrative, it feels a bit lengthy. Commenting on the technical aspects of a film made with such a scrawny budget is unfair. Even so, there are certain things that the film does well. Like debut director Ritesh Menon's treatment of emotional scenes with natural lighting. It's nice to see a thoughtful experiment.

A comedy is supposed to make you laugh. If it does that in abundance, all other cinema sins can be forgiven. Even though CCF does well in the raising laughs department, its just not consistent enough. Certain bizzare scenes try to surreal but just end up being overcooked. Like the sexy pakoda dance. It just seems amateurishly out of place. We've seen better films in the same subgenre of movies. Its not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but its also not as good as it could've been. There's ample supply of craziness here. If only it were presented in a more aesthetic and artistic manner.