Zed Plus Movie Review: A Plus On All Counts!

Political satire is one genre that has not been willingly embraced by most filmmakers. However, Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi is no ordinary filmmaker and this is aptly proved with Zed Plus, a delightful political satire set in a dusty small town in Rajasthan.

Aslam Khan (Adil Hussain), a humble puncture-wala operates a small shop near the famous Peepal Wale Peer Ki Dargah when he is not too busy bickering with his neighbor Habib (Mukesh Tiwari) or cheating on his wife Hameeda (Mona Singh) with Saeeda (Ekavali Khanna).

Coincidentally, Aslam is appointed the Khadim of the dargah on the same day that the troubled Prime Minister of India (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) is supposed to seek blessings. When the PM and the puncture-wala meet and interact at the dargah, a case of misunderstanding leads to Aslam being provided with Zed Plus Security, leading to hilarious consequences.

How Aslam gets mired in the quicksand of politics and how the security affects his life (and even endangers it) forms the rest of the plot.

The performances are worthy of applause. Adil, who has been mostly seen in urbane roles, does complete justice to his character and manages to effectively come across as naïve and roguish as and when the situation demands it. Mona Singh too has done a decent job, though the film clearly belongs to the male members of the cast. Mukesh Tiwari and Sanjay Mishra are a laugh riot and provide the maximum laughs while Kharbanda is simply impressive and KK Raina as the Prime Minister's Man Friday, puts up a good show.

Zed Plus is one of the few films, which is not only blessed with an able cast, but has a strong script and impressive screen-play, not to mention dialogues, to complement it. At times, you are not sure whether to laugh at Aslam's misery (the poor man cannot even visit his secret lover because of the posse of gun-toting commandos following him day and night) or sympathize with his plight as he gets sucked into a political whirlpool.

Dwivedi has created quite an interesting character in Aslam, a flawed hero, who makes you cheer for him and cringe at some of his antics with equal measure. The story has its own charm and the humour quite simple yet effective. With this film, Dwivedi certainly sends across a message, but with an endearingly cheeky smile.

If political satire is your cup of tea, Zed Plus is a must watch.