Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta show you it’s never too late to fall in love with life, again
It’s the sheer delight of watching veteran actors Anupam Kher and Neena Gupta on screen that alleviates a simplistic film like Shiv Shastri Balboa and makes it engaging. A comedy at the outset, the film eventually touches upon various subjects — some touch your heart, while others get you thinking about life in general. Written and directed Ajayan Venugopalan, the movie is neither overtly hilarious nor extremely grim. Striking just the right balance to evoke varied emotions, it remains a lighter take on life after retirement and how you can take charge, at any age.
The story begins with Shiv Shankar Shastri (Kher), a diehard fan of the 1976 film Rocky that starred Sylvester Stallone as boxer Rocky Balboa. A retiree, he has trained several boxers who brought laurels for the country. Shastri soon moves to the USA to live with his son Rahul (Jugal Hansraj), his wife, two sons and a dog named Casper. While getting accustomed to the busy life abroad, his paths cross with Elsa Zachariah (Gupta), whom he promises to reunite with her family in India. As fate would have it, the two end up on an unexpected road trip through the American heartland, ultimately embarking on a journey of selflove and rediscovery. Along the journey, they meet Cinnamon Singh (Sharib Hashmi) and Siya (Nargis Fakhri), who play a crucial part in making them reach their destination. But, things go downhill when Elsa lands behind bars. How Shastri pulls all strings he possibly can to set her free, and also realise his own dream, is what the second half covers.
Interestingly, Kher’s last release, Uunchai (2022) also spoke of how a person is never too old to reinvent themselves. And in this one, too, he takes on challenges head on. Be it working at a petrol station or riding bikes with a tattooed gang, Kher keeps his swag on all through. How Shastri, who’s been scared of dogs all his life, develops a friendly bond with Casper, is undoubtedly the highlight.
At 132 minutes, Shiv Shastri Balboa gets a tad stretched at places, but manages to resume pace. The story is simple, without sounding preachy. Some of the dialogues from Kher, such as, ‘The biggest risk a person can take is to do nothing’, serve as great life lessons. Overall, the writing could have been way better, but I think the makers stuck to a simplistic narrative and didn’t risk much. A few portions, like the bit on the biker gang, felt slightly abrupt and rushed into.
Gupta as a house help in an Indo-American family is a brave character to play. We are told she’s originally from Hyderabad, and that’s the reason she has a put-on accent throughout the film — which seemed a bit over-the-top and distracting. Hashmi’s comic timing is on point. He never overpowers the protagonist’s story, yet manages to hold his ground in the limited scenes he gets. It’s extremely pleasant to watch Hansraj back on the big screen after long, portraying a fullfledged role. He’s charming and has a great screen presence. I loved the two boys who play his sons; their scenes with Kher move you.
Shiv Shastri Balboa is a sweet, innocent and endearing story about love, life and learnings — with its heart at the right place. Watch it for the relatable performances by Kher and Gupta.