Puaada review: Fun family entertainer to drive away lockdown blues

The much-awaited Punjabi-language feature film starring Ammy Virk and Sonam Bajwa, Puaada, was released in cinema halls after much anticipation. The romantic comedy directed by first-time filmmaker Rupinder Chahal depicts a clash between two families who are brought face to face with each other due to the romance between their children.

Jaggi (Virk) and Rounak (Bajwa) are in love with each other but they come from very different backgrounds. Jaggi is a dairy farmer who lives in the village, while Rounak is an MBA student, whose father is an Air Force officer.  Her father is on the lookout for a befitting match for his daughter, while Jaggi tries desperately to impress the veteran, so he can ask for her hand in marriage. After several twists and turns, Jaggi is able to convince his family to meet Raunak’s parents but then comes yet another hilarious twist in the tale, which upsets his best-laid plans.

The title translates to mess or problems and the film is a laugh riot from the word go as the characters find themselves thrown into one messy situation after another. The city vs village divide creates havoc in the lives of the couple and becomes the source of much hilarity. Even though a serious situation develops with terrorists, who are there to execute a sinister plot, the film stays on track as a comedy and the villains too become comic. One of the lackeys is eating golgappas at a wedding and complaining to his boss that the job is taking too long and he needs to return to his family, as his son won’t go to school without him! He also ends up offering relationship advice to the couple. At another instance, the sarpanch or village head is offering supari [payment] to a terrorist to get rid of his annoying wife!

The character of Speaker Chachi (Gurpreet Bhangu), the friend injecting buffaloes to increase milk production, Jaggi’s hen-pecked father and his squabble with his wife lend an air of authenticity to village life and its concerns. Despite all his silliness, Jaggi emerges as a simpleton with a golden heart who is deserving of the girl.

Although the use of the background score is heavy-handed, the songs are catchy, foot-tapping numbers that come in at the right moments. The dialogues by Rakesh Dhawan stand out as much of the humour comes from the clever writing and leaves the audience in splits. Virk and Bajwa share great chemistry and their performances are complemented by the supporting cast which includes Anita Devgan, Hardeep Gill, Seema Kaushal, Sukhwinder Chahal and others.

There are a few scenes that feel a little stretched and the climax is overdrawn to extract maximum emotional impact. But overall, the film is good fun, making this the ideal family entertainer to drive away lockdown blues.

Puaada is backed by A&A Pictures and Brat Films and has been released worldwide by Zee Studios.