Amitabh Bachchan, Tabu, Paresh Rawal, Zohra Sehgal, as well as Swini Khara feature in Cheeni Kum, a 2007 Bollywood Hindi rom-com movie directed by R. Balki.
Buddhadev Gupta is the subject of Cheeni Kum’s film. Buddhadev, 64, is the chef and proprietor of Spice 6, London’s premier Indian restaurant. His lone companion and confidante is his 9-year-old neighbour, ‘Sexy’ (Swini Khara), who has been diagnosed with cancer. He lives with his 85-year-old mother (Zohra Sehgal). Buddhadev Gupta is a haughty, egotistical, and pretentious guy who has a single passion for cooking. He’s a confirmed bachelor who’s never had a girlfriend until Nina Verma (Tabu), 34, walks into his restaurant and enters his life.
Nina is a stunning and captivating Indian woman. Cool, serene, and peaceful, with a constant smile, but strong-willed and independent. The two, who are opposites in age, temperament, and attitude, meet and fall in love despite all obstacles. They decide to marry, and Buddhadev, like every other Indian man, politely approaches Nina’s father, Omprakash Verma (Paresh Rawal), a genuine Gandhian residing in Delhi, to ask for her hand in marriage. Buddhadev is older than Nina’s father, which is the key issue here. When Buddhadev asks for his daughter’s hand and she declines, Omprakash is shocked. He tries to persuade his daughter by embarking on a Gandhi-like hunger strike. Finally, Omprakash sees his error and lets Nina have her way.
Ilaiyaraaja composed the music and soundtrack. The tunes were re-used from the composer’s earlier songs in plenty of other languages, although the arrangements were new – for example, “Jaane Do Na” was indeed a re-used version of “Jotheyali” from the Kannada film Geetha in 1981.
Glamsham’s Martin D’Souza scored the film four out of five stars, concluding that “A dash of sweetness (Tabu), the appropriate amount of spice (Amitabh), the correct amount of lime (Paresh Rawal), the right amount of salt (‘sexy’), as well as tadka (provided by Zohra Sehgal). A wholesome entertainment that the entire family can enjoy.”
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