Cash
Introduction
It has been 5 years since the historic demonetization that was implemented where currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 were reduced to a worthless piece of paper. And that was indeed a hard-time where people were hustling and standing in never ending ATM queues. In the process, we had also discovered a legend who said ” Arre Maa C#$$$$ padi hai” that later turned into a nationwide meme. Based on the central plot of demonetization, a new Hindi film Cash was out this weekend. Does it manage to tickle your funny bone, stay tuned.
Story & Screenplay
Cash is the story of two young men who use demonetization to their advantage and open a startup. Naturally, the path is filled with mayhem! The story is simple yet hilarious and definitely packed with many laugh out loud moments. The screenplay is a little patchy and many of the events in the film might work independently but in totally they seemed a little strenuous and not seamless. But it is the dialogues and the performances that hide much of its flaws which I will get to in my subsequent sections. There is still much to adore here as the sequences created are interesting and evoke that sense of laughter. The buffoonery is handled quite well here so much so that although the proceedings seem silly for your intelligence you do manage to laugh. The best part is that the film doesn’t take itself too seriously and the light theme is maintained throughout. Also the screenplay is fast paced and moves from one sequence to another swiftly. What that prompts you is that it doesn’t allow you to think or pay too much attention to the flaws. So you tend to overlook much of them while laughing hysterically. All in all, a hilarious screenplay although not completely seamless.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are the best I have heard all year. They are a mix of satire, quirkiness and buffoonery that end up being hilarious and meme-worthy! Also some of the one-liners will make you laugh hysterically! The music is decent here, the BGM is not very memorable. Director Rishab Seth stamps his confidence with ease here. Despite being rough around the edges he manages to hold the story together keeping the overall theme light and thereby keeping the humour intact.
Performances
The performances are hilarious. Swapnil Rao had his moments to shine, so does Pawan Chopra. Gulshan Grover as Gautam Acharya is brilliantly funny here particularly in the final act that made me laugh for quite sometime after it had ended. Krishna Bisht as Qazi is hilarious and my favourite character overall. Each time he comes onscreen, you will definitely crack up. This was a tough character to pull off considering he has the best punch lines where the timing was important and he does a phenomenal job. Swanand Kirkire as Gulati is pretty good here and he hits all the right notes with his character. Anand Alkunte as the inspector is aptly cast and he definitely adds the the humour quotient. Kavin Dave as Soda is his usually self and quite well performed too. Smiriti Karla as Neha makes a confident debut and she definitely looks gorgeous and has a good screen presence. Amol Parashar as Armaan is a revelation here. An actor who is taking rapid strides has now showcased his new talent – his impeccable comic timing throughout that will force you to laugh. The timing on some of his one-liners is spot on. Overall a great job done.
Conclusion
Cash is a quirky, hilarious and an enjoyable comedy. Available on Hotstar.