‘Mere Dad ki Maruti’ Critics Review: Thumbs up for Bone-Tickling Humour

Bollywood comedy film "Mere Dad ki Maruti" has been released this Friday. The Yash Raj Films' production features Saqib Saleem, Ram Kapoor and Prabal Panjabi in lead roles. The film is set in the backdrop of a big fat Punjabi wedding in Chandigarh.

The story revolves around a boy Sameer (played by Saqib Saleem) who sneaks out with his dad's (Ram Kapoor) car to make an impression on a college friend and how things changes when he loses the car.

The small budget film has received positive to mixed reviews from critics for its bone-tickling humour.

Check out the critics' verdict here:   

Nayandeep of Koimoi.com said: "The no-mard of the Khullar family, Sameer Khullar (Saqib Saleem) is nothing but a no-sense useless brat, tired by the daily miseries caused by his staunch and khadus dad, Tej (Ram Kapoor)! Tej, the DAD, is kanjoos and loves getting things FREE! But there is one wish he needs to fulfill: a Maruti car that he wants to vidaa his soon-to-be-wed-daughter in! The Punjabi wedding, which serves as the perfect backdrop of the perky and crazily dysfunctional family, results in a course of mayhem when Sameer, the ullu da pattha, ponders on a dream date with The Chandigarh di Shakira aka Jasleen (oops, sorry its Jazleen, played by debutante Rhea Chakraborty) and ends up losing his Dad ki Maruti. What follows then is a fight to the finish battle between Sameer's idiocrasy and intelligence to get back his Dad's Maruti back on time!

"The script deserves double thumbs up for the beautifully penned and astonishingly witty one-liners used. From the deliberate references to the DDLJ or the Chak De India and the other YRF encounters, the dialogues serve as the flawless ingredient in this brouhaha of things gone worse! The plot is refreshingly new and the usual predictable story is infused life with a powerful narrative. Characters are relatively well sketched and appealing to all ages.

"Mere Dad Ki Maruti is just another really well made small budgeted film that tickles your funny bones, breaking you down into fits of unforced giggles and laughter! Give your popcorn a miss and enjoy this mad cap comic caper as it will be worth your time and money! Waste feil gayi, yaar!"

Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama said: "MERE DAD KI MARUTI is set against the backdrop of a Punjabi wedding in Chandigarh. It tells the story of Sameer [Saqib Saleem], who sneaks his dad's [Ram Kapoor] fancy new car out to impress the college hottie Jasleen [Rhea Chakraborty] and how all hell breaks loose when he loses it. 

"The screenplay of MERE DAD KI MARUTI follows the tried and tested mantra: It activates with a dilemma and concludes with a definite resolution. In between, the fast-changing tracks and the colorful characters and episodes keep your attention arrested. You rarely go wrong if you follow this [oldest] storytelling technique in Bollywood... MERE DAD KI MARUTI gets it right on this count. Besides, Ashima does the smartest thing by making it an over the top experience. 

"On the whole, MERE DAD KI MARUTI is a joyride. Mazedaar, masaledaar, full-on entertainer. Hitch a ride on this one instantly!"

Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV said: "Band, baaja, baaraat, a desi booty-shaking Shakira, a reckless boy who refuses to grow up, a penny-pinching dad, and a missing Maruti - these are, broadly speaking, the pieces that make up this rib-tickling jigsaw. Produced by Y Films, YRF's alternative production label, Mere Dad Ki Maruti, has all the essential ingredients of a Bollywood wedding flick, but it serves them up in a somewhat watered-down form. The dilution serves the film well.

"This isn't a laugh-out-loud comic romp. But some of the gags the film rustles up are genuinely funny and bear the stamp of a degree of cleverness that one rarely encounters in an average Mumbai comedy.

 "First-time director and co-screenwriter Ashima Chibber keeps a tight rein on the proceedings all the way up to a tidily executed climax. The dialogues penned by Ishita Moitra convey just the right mix of the smart and the madcap. The performances by the young cast are competent. Saqib Saleem, in his second big screen outing, hits all the right notes.

"Mere Dad Ki Maruti is a winner, an easy film to like. Go right ahead."

Bindu Suresh Rai of Emirates 24/7 said: "'Mere Dad Ki Maruti' emerges as this winning ride, maintaining its steady grip on the steering wheel, with a foot firmly positioned on the accelerator. 

"Credit for this fast-paced comedy goes completely to debutante director Ashima Chibber, who comes with an impressive resume that includes working as an assistant director on hit films such as 'Ab Tak Chappan' 'Chak De! India' and 'Rockstar'.

"Back in 1995, 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' set the benchmark for the perfect Punjabi family entertainer; perhaps, it's only fair that another Yash Raj production takes the mantle with fully charged batteries for gen-next."