Ferrari Ki Sawaari
Hindi (U/A)
Cast: Boman Irani, Sharman Joshi, Ritvik Sahore, Satyadeep Mishra, Aakash Dabhade, Deepak Shirke
Director: Rajesh Mapuskar
Yeh toh hona hi tha. In a country which lives, breathes, eats, talks, walks, sleeps, bathes cricket — a film paying tributes to the Lord Almighty of cricket was inevitable. Ferrari Ki Sawaari is Vidhu Vinod Chopra Productions’ glowing tribute to Sachin Tendulkar.
And what better way to do it than go all out, take Sachin’s Ferrari, throw in a 12-year-old’s aspiration of making it to the Indian cricket team; a father’s efforts to pull out all stops to send his son to attend a cricket camp at the Mecca of world cricket — Lord’s — and you’ve got an engrossing entertainer.
Add to the mix a grumpy, peanut-chewing ‘pappa’ (Boman Irani); a dedicated coach (Satyadeep Mishra); the sub-plot of a security guard (Deepak Shirke) and a servant (Aakash Dabhade) who are out looking for their (Sachin) Saab’s Ferrari which has gone missing right from under their noses and a wedding planner’s desperate efforts to secure a Ferrari for a client — and what you’ve got is a well-crafted screenplay.
As the Ferrari becomes the symbolic representation of the ultimate object of desire for the common man, so also is the objective of a young boy, Kayo (Ritvik Sahore in a brilliant performance) who represents an entire generation of youngsters trying to make it big in the world of cricket. Tendulkar is conspicuous by his absence but present in every frame, with each one breathing his name throughout the film.
Rajesh Mapuskar’s maiden effort scores a six when it comes to handling the film’s plot, parallel plots and sub-texts. All the major characters go through an evolutionary process and each one ends up a winner.
The plot subtly contrasts the relation that Russy aka Joshi shares with his father (Irani) and the relation that he shares with son Kayo without overstating their bond. Irani is the proverbial chameleon who adroitly settles into any role that comes his way. It is a joy to see him mould his natural dexterity into diverse characters.
Ferrari... is also a good example of how the supporting cast can be well-utilised. Certain moments remind one of Aziz Mirza and how he uses small-time characters like a traffic constable, a shop-keeper and guards as representatives of the common man that audiences recognise easily — except that Mapuskar takes their portrayal a notch higher. As for the inevitable item number... well, you fall in love with Vidya Balan all over again. As a Lavni dancer, Balan steals the show yet again. A must-watch.