Movie Review - Guest Iin London - Could Have Been A 'Cleaner' Family Entertainer

Rating : 2.5/5

Honestly, I stepped into Guest Iin London (the double 'i' in 'Iin' is what the makers insist, not me!) without much of an expectation. After all, the promo was just about decent and though there were some smiles thrown in, the overall 'must-watch' quotient was missing. The bit of a delay in the film's release further diluted the impact. However, 15 minutes into the film and it actually managed to grab my attention. As it progressed, I realized that it was not really bad and in fact did have fair laughs scattered into the narrative. However, what truly impressed was the emotional mood that was set by director Ashwni Dhir for a major part of the narrative. The fact that family values played an important part out there in this (little over) two hour film was good enough.

No wonder, it was disappointing to see that a film which could have been rather clean turned out to be awkward at many junctions, courtesy the fart moments and flatulence jokes that were spread at many points in the storytelling. Why, why, why? This is the question I really wish to ask the makers here, as this just didn't contribute anything at all to the overall entertainment that the film wanted to convey. What could have been a much 'cleaner film', pun intended, ended up being interspersed with this totally unnecessary deviation that resulted in Guest Iin London turning out to be a much lesser film than what it actually could have been.

Nonetheless, to give credit where it is due, the film doesn't bore you and that's one of it's key strengths. The moment Paresh Rawal steps into an airplane with his wife Tanvi Azmi and embarks on a travel from Punjab to London, there are some trademark antics of the actor that are thrown in. On the other hand the youngsters make their presence felt instantly too with Kartik Aryan and Kriti Kharbanda getting into an 'arranged marriage'. As the quartet finds itself into a house together, there are some fun moments that ensure that you do have smiles right through.

What pleasantly surprises you though are the emotional highs that start appearing soon enough. The wedding ceremony that takes place, the drunken spur of Kartik where he confesses his love to Kriti, the morning after with the family where elders hand over 'shagun' to the newlyweds - you get to see a different side of the film which catches you unaware. Lighter moments follow soon after and though the sequence of events at the party of the boss seems a little extended, its culmination is quite good, hence leading to an impressive interval point.

However, post the interval point, few scenes do seem forced and unnecessarily increase the length of the film. Particularly criminal is the whole party sequence which is simply dedicated to flatulence. Really, it is irrelevant to the core and makes you feel repulsive towards the proceedings on screen. The 'baby massage' scene is overtly extended too and so is the 'shamshaan yaatra' that could well have been edited out. Thankfully, just when you wonder where is the film going, a twist in the tale appears and the director manages to bring interest back amongst the audience. You are totally caught unaware with the entire 9/11 angle and what transpires from this point on continues to help the film soar further.

This is what makes the last 30 minutes of the film really emotional and occasionally you do shed a tear or two too. Each of the four actors on the screen works in tandem and gets a good platform to bring on the emotions. Time and again, an emotional drama towards the end of a light hearted entertainer tends to drag a film down. However, Guest Iin London is an exception as it actually turns out to be a high point of the film. The special appearances by Ajay Devgn and Sharad Kelkar add further weight to the film and once it comes towards the conclusion, you are reasonably entertained.

Moreover, the production values of the film are good too (almost entire shooting takes place in London), though music is functional. As actors, Paresh Rawal leads the show and excels, especially in the emotional scenes. Tanvi Azmi is perfect for the part and gets a meaty role. Kartik is totally apt for the part and breaks free from his Pyaar Ka Punchnama image. He excels in the emotions scenes too. Kriti Kharbanda is a revelation. She had a serious part to play in her debut flick Raaz - Reboot. However, out here she gets to play a much livelier part and does really well. She is confident and looks quite beautiful too.

Well, the film as a whole could have been much more beautiful. I could have actually gone for a three star rating but going with half a star less due to the flatulence inspired humor. That could well have been avoided in entirety.