Trespassers will be killed’, screams a board outside a rickety Mumbai bungalow.
But that won’t deter Amit Sial, who is ready to risk his life to fulfil his childhood dream of owning the building. A skilled hustler, Sial goes out of his way to win over the owner of the dilapidated structure — a grouchy Paresh Rawal who greets intruders with stones and profanities.
Jo Tera Hai Woh Mera Hai has too many subplots and themes — a happy family, a mistress, a Baba and a bunch of gullible devotees, cricket, betting, stock market manipulation, exam malpractices and vicious moneylenders.
It may seem like a case of too many cooks, but Sial’s effortless acting keeps the broth warm. He plays the everyman with great finesse, making it impossible to dislike him even when he is plotting to poison someone.
Sonali Kulkarni complements him as the smooth-talking wife who runs the show without much ado, whether it’s deftly handling the children’s principal or ordering the perfect birthday cake.
The tricks of the trade fail one by one and Sial digs his own grave in pursuit of his dream home. All this while, Paresh Rawal walks around like a lost soul, rolling his prayer beads. Only cricket shakes him out of his slumber. A no-frills story without the quintessential props, but a pleasant watch nevertheless.
Published 20 September 2024, 23:47 IST