Shiv Shastri Balboa Review: Anupam Kher and Neena Gupta take you on a ride full of smiles

By Shachi Chaturvedi

Director- Ajayan Venugopalan

Cast- Neena Gupta, Anupam Kher, Nargis Fakhri and Sharib Hashmi

Ratings- 3.5/5

Synopsis

Shiv Shastri, an Indian retiree and Rocky movie lover, goes to the United States and finds himself on an unexpected road journey across the American heartland, learning that it’s never too late to rediscover yourself.

Review

The film begins with Shiv Shastri packing his belongings in preparation for his departure to the United States. The old gentleman runs a boxing school and has trained many people, so a news channel wants to interview him about it. Shiv Shastri is a big Rocky movie fan, hence the channel asks him to make a video in Philadelphia for them to run the interview.

Mr Shastri requests his son to assist him in creating the film, but with his hectic schedule, helping his father is his last priority. Shastri subsequently forgets about the video and gets caught up in regular chores. Where he meets Elsa, an Indian housekeeper, one day. Shastri and Elsa become friends, and she later explains that an American family has held her hostage and that she wants to return home.

Shastri resolves to assist her while also fulfilling his ambition of travelling to Philadelphia to film the video. From here, the wonderful rollercoaster begins, filled with happiness, cuteness, love, and smiles.

In terms of character portrayal, Anupam Kher, who plays Mr Shastri, is a complete powerhouse. He takes on the position with honesty and effort. The actor does an excellent job in the role, and his naïve emotions are the frosting on the cake.

With Elsa, it appears that Neena Gupta can portray any role. With back-to-back star performances, the actress has decided to bring her period back, and she has re-established herself in the world of cinema. The simplicity that she holds and her dialogue delivery makes it an amazing watch.

Casper, the dog, deserves special mention; he is such a darling that you can’t help but enjoy each of his frames. He appears to be the film’s most ardent supporter.

Sharib Hashmi and Nargis Fakhri, who play supporting roles, emerge as the film’s pillars. These two resemble fairy lights, which are used to decorate and beautify things.

When it comes to songs, the film lacks them, but the background music pleases the ears and allows you to appreciate the film a bit more and smile a little broader.

In terms of film technical elements, the writing is crisp, and take a bow, whoever thought of inserting clouds of messages each time the camera pans to the dog, you are a genius.
The movie’s strong ideas, such as there is no age to rediscover oneself, we need to spend time with our elders, and dogs are our true, faithful mates, and are thoughtful. It is quite difficult to express these concepts with no negativity and complete sincerity, and the filmmakers have done an excellent job in this regard.

Conclusion

It’s a good film that deserves to be recognised. This is a light-hearted film that appeals to people of all ages and will leave you smiling at the end. It’s like receiving a warm hug.