Shiv Shastri Balboa Movie Review

Shiv Shastri Balboa is a Hindi comedy-drama film written and directed by “ Ajayan Venugopalan Ajayan Venugopalan is a film director and Indian s >> Read More... .”The soundtrack was composed by “ Alokananda Dasgupta Alokananda Dasgupta is a Mumbai-based Indian class >> Read More... .” The film stars “ Anupam Kher Anupam Kher is a very popular actor, director, and >> Read More... ” as Shiv Shankar Shastri. The cast involves Jugal Hansraj Jugal Hansraj is a prominent Indian actor, screenw >> Read More... , Nargis Fakhri Nargis Fakhri is an actress who pivotally works in >> Read More... , Neena Gupta Neena Gupta is a very popular and well-known figur >> Read More... , Sharib Hashmi Sharib Hashmi is a very popular Hindi film actor w >> Read More... , Alexandra Faye Sadeghian, Rajat Sharma A story from rags to riches. Padma Bhushan Rajat S >> Read More... , Nalneesh Neel Nalneesh Neel is an Indian actor and was born on 1 >> Read More... and others. “Kishore Vareith” and “Rajnandini Rathi” have produced the film under UFI Motion Pictures. The cinematography has been done by Joshua Ausley Bio coming soon... >> Read More... and edited by Praveen Prabhakar.

Plot

Shiv Shankar Shastri is an Indian widower who moves to the US to live with his son after his retirement. There, he deals with alienation and culture shift. He has to shoot a video of himself doing the rocky steps in Philadelphia for an interview at Rajat Sharma’s show in India. He asks his son to help him out but his son gives last priority to his father’s wish. So, Shastri is left alone in a big house with a dog. He tries bonding with his grandsons, but nothing works. Shastri has no other options left rather than to befriend the household Elsa. Though their bond is a little unlikely with time, the two souls handle each other and end up on an unexpected trip through the American heartland without informing family and friends. This trip makes them go through police, strippers club and what not, and also teaches them that you are never too old to explore yourself.

Star Performance

Anupam Kher plays Shiv Shastri Balboa extremely well, controlling every scene with his charming speech style. Anupam's occasional imitation of Stallone is also spot-on. The chemistry between him and Neena is incredible. She is a good fit for the part of an incompetent grandmother who drinks vodka and beer and wishes she could escape her eight years of hard labor so she could support her avaricious daughter and son-in-law in India.

Analysis

The cinematography of the movie is incredible. The story of the film is a bit emotional and a little adventurous. The bond between Shiv and Elsa is the highlight of the story but apart from that, the movie's best part is the friendship that forms between Shastri, the protagonist who is afraid of dogs, and Casper. The scenes with Shastri and Casper were my favorites, especially when a speech bubble would periodically appeared on screen to reveal the dog's thoughts. It is adorable. Also, it was terrific to watch Jugal Hansraj back on the screen after so long. His role as an NRI fitted his American accent well.

What’s there? 

•   Anupam Kher’s justice to the role of a man who is not too old to dream
•   A lot more than just watching an older man following his inspiration
•   An extraordinary bond between Shiv and Elsa
•   The life learnings delivered by the characters are inspirational

What’s not there?

• Too many subplots have made it a little tricky for the viewers
• The unfolding of the story could have been better

Verdict

Although there are too many subplots and a little lull at the conclusion due to the introduction of a court struggle, the story is still a comprehensive family entertainment. You should watch it if you are looking for a family-friendly movie.