Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana (2012)

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

At first I found film slightly odd. The second time,this little gem of a film,grew on me as a wonderfully eccentric,subtle comedy with well written characters. Omi Khurana (the very handsome Kunal Kapoor) returns from London in debt after going missing for a decade from his loving paternal grandfather's (Daar ji- Vinod Nagpal) ancestral home in Punjab. His return delights his paternal aunt Lata ( Seema Kaushal ) & his cousin Jeet, but is viewed correctly with quiet suspicion by his Father's younger brother, his perceptive & dignified uncle Hemraj ( Rajendra Sethi ). Another person perturbed with Omi's return is his childhood sweetheart, Harman ( Huma Qureshi ) who is a local physician now- but at heart,is still the unpolished,delinquent school girl who's cut out of the same cloth as the shady Omi. While Omi is blase about how he left Harman, she is secretly still in love with him- an affection she is wary of & tries to curb at first with her assessment of Omi's true character & the bad influence he wielded on her in their school days. While Omi lies about being a rich Ferrari driving lawyer who lives near the Buckingham palace ( a lie readily accepted by his aunt Lata,Jeet & Lata's eccentric brother,Titu - but not his Uncle Hemraj ) he conceals from his family that he's really there to rob them again to erase his debt to London gangster, Shanty. Harman's brother Lovely, who runs a store selling undergarments & is trying to become a real estate agent, brings Omi an offer of one crore from funny,dhaba owning rival,Kehar Singh for Daar ji's famous dhaba & the recipe for Daar ji's secret 'chicken Khurana'. Omi is stumped since the recipe is known only to Daar ji,who is now ,old,adorable & recognizes no one but a crow- whom Daar ji believes ,is the love of his life, his beautiful,dead wife Muskaan (Omi's grandmother) & keeps singing to the scruffy black crow besides absent-mindedly & hilariously,responding in 'dhaba style' to people,"tandoori or makhani?''etc. Other memorable characters are Daar ji's cousin,'bua ji' , a pot-smoking God woman; Dalidri, the loving man-servant who considers himself a family member ; Titu Mamaji , the eccentric scooter-riding uncle who sleeps on the terrace, carries a radio,wears an undershirt everywhere,complains about his sister Lata's bad cooking & is suspicious of Jeet's sexual orientation ; Manty , Shanty's delightful, gun-wielding enforcer who follows Omi to Punjab & gets hilariously gets homesick for his 'pind' & his 'bebe'. This is a delightful film which stands up well to repeated viewings & has some ribald songs & a lovely background score. Good direction & editing. Well written script. 8.5/10

'Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana' is simply A Terrific Film! The Screenplay is fabulous, The Direction is perfect & The Performances are outstanding. An Under-Rated Gem from 2012!'Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana' Synopsis: Omi Khurana's London dream has just ended. On the run from a dangerous UK gangster who he owes money to, Omi returns to his native village in Punjab, pretending to be a well-heeled London lawyer. Much has changed since Omi ran away from home a decade back after stealing money from his doting grandfather, Darji. The old man has since become senile and most importantly, forgotten the secret recipe of "Chicken Khurana" a dish that made the Khurana dhaba (restaurant) famous across Punjab. Omi's childhood sweetheart, Harman is soon to be married to his cousin, Jeet, though neither seems too happy about it. Adding to the quirkiness of the Khurana family is a free loader uncle, Titu, who once did a stint at a mental asylum. Will Omi be able to cover his deceit and lies for long?'Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana' works from start to end. The story appeals, the characters work & the overall outcome, is damn good. Sameer Sharma & Sumit Batheja's Screenplay is fabulous. It delivers a story that's different, but at the same time, endearing & moving. A special mention for the lovely dialogue. Sameer Sharma's Direction, on the other-hand, is perfect. He has handled the film like a pro, although this is his directorial debut. Cinematography, Editing & Art Design, are proper. Music by the supremely talented Amit Trivedi is impressive. Performance-Wise: Kunal Kapoor is delightful in the central role. Without a doubt, this is Kunal's finest performance to date. Huma Quershi is wonderfully restrained. Rajesh Sharma is incredible. What a scene-stealing performance! Rahul Bagga is highly efficient. Vinod Nagpal is very good. Rajendra Sethi is always note-worthy. Dolly Ahluwalia & Vipin Sharma are brilliant in cameos.On the whole, 'Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana' is worth a bite!

Overall a good movie to watch ! Not much fun, because it has sad or emotional moments as well.Actual theme of the movie i.e. food (chicken khurana) starts in second half. If director/writer could have shown it in first half as well, then movie could be better and shorter.Leading cast Kunal was very honest to his role. Sometimes scenes are a bit longer (Editing as well), but I liked the scenes when Kunal and his 'love' were together. So, the story has a kind of small love angle as well.Rest of the casts, no matter whether it is 'mamaji' or 'buaji', all have done well ! Small brand movie, but sure to help you in smiling !

Before moving on to the review, let me clarify two major points used in the film's promotional campaign by its makers which is bound to give you a slightly wrong idea about the movie altogether.The first one being the genre of the film which was strongly promoted as a complete comedy or laugh riot on the lines of few earlier hits based on Punjabi themes such as KHOSLA KA GHOSLA, VICKY DONOR and may be OYE LUCKY LUCKY OYE too. Now yes the film is completely based in Punjab and it does have many comic touches coming at regular intervals. But still they are too less to call it a complete comedy as said in its promos. In fact the total comedy punches in the film are not more than what you have already seen in its theatrical trailers. So instead of a pure comedy, it would be better to consider LUV SHUV TEY CHICKEN KHURANA as a light comical film featuring an emotional touch of a Punjabi family and a childhood love story woven around a food theme.Secondly, coming to the film being called as "The First Food Film of India", yes its name says so and the last hour of its script also revolves around the subject. But again its first half never talks about this basic theme and the "Chicken Khurana" actually comes into existence only in its final hour. Hence if you are willing to watch LSTCK taking it as a great (Punjabi) comedy, then you might not get the same in return. But if you wish to see a decent entertaining film, taking you on a realistic tour of Punjab and its people, then you are sure going to find it largely satisfying in most of the cases.LSTCK has a nice, cool start straight away moving into a remote village of Punjab from abroad. The first half mainly deals with introducing its various characters with some perfect one liners and well chosen cast by director Sameer Sharma. And due to this superb ensemble of actors performing well on the screen, you don't mind the slow pace before the interval and keep enjoying it despite of having no mention of the actual "Chicken Khurana" in details. In short the film actually starts post intermission when the original creator of the recipe dies without saying a single word and then the leading hero thinks of discovering the dish again with his own efforts.Hence the whole drama of the film around the 'Secret Dish' unfolds in its final 45 minutes only and not before that. Still the viewer doesn't lose his interest at all because the debutant director successfully manages to keep him hooked in the other entertaining sub-plots of the film which include a childhood love angle, a hidden inter-caste marriage, a rival Dhaba Owner ready to pay anything for the 'Secret Recipe', a lazy relative who doesn't like to work, a psycho don, a fake spiritual guru and an emotional Punjabi family bonding represented with authenticity. Yet, I also found that a few characters could have been exploited more for generating a great comical touch like the Punjabi psycho don, the fake spiritual guru and the rival dhaba owner, especially in its first half. Having said that, LSTCK actually becomes a decent watch due to its superlative performances from the entire cast lead from the front by Huma Qureshi (of Gangs of Wasseypur fame) and Rajesh Sharma who are both simply outstanding in the film. If truth be told then just take out Rajesh Sharma (as Titu) from the film and see what difference he makes to the overall impact of the project clearly. The exceptional actor remains the central pillar of the script and plays it commendably. Huma once again showcases her hidden talent after GOW and her physical appearance perfectly matches the role she is given.Kunal Kapoor is pretty decent, underplaying his character well without going overboard. Munish Makhija (as the Don) remains enjoyable and Dolly Ahluwalia (as the fake spiritual guru) is a delight to watch, who ideally deserved a lot more scenes as I felt. Vinod Nagpal(as Khurana) is fine in his silent role and Rajendra Sethi is superb as the emotional uncle and so is Mukesh Chhabra as the budding property dealer. Rahul Bagga impresses being the cousin brother and both Seema Kaushal & Anangsha Biswas are great in their emotional acts. Besides I really enjoyed the few scenes of Vipin Sharma posing as the rival dhaba owner, who performs with perfection.Another ace in the film is an unconventional yet enjoyable soundtrack by Amit Trivediwhich rightly fits into the exact requirements of the film like a 'T'. One enjoys 'Kikli Kaleer Di' and "Luni Hasi' being played in the background a lot and then wishes to hear them again walking out of the theatre. And the same can be said about the Cinematography and Background Score of the film which strongly make their presence felt as you are watching it.Summing up LUV SHUV TEY CHICKEN KHURANA is not a great masterpiece made on the similar lines of many previous hits revolving around the Punjabi theme. It surely could have become the one with a better paced first half and more comical punches as expected. But still in the present version, it does turn out to be a nice enjoyable one time watch with a fresh subject, well supported by a superb cast and a catchy musical score.