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It is futile to state that the film could have been funnier, studded with more gags and—maybe—crisper like a slice of bread toasted to perfection. Because what we do get is decidedly funny, utterly screwball and deliciously dark. Maybe it does not reach the levels of some great (some unsuccessful) dark comedies in Hindi (Hera Pheri, Malamaal Weekly, Delhi Belly, Ludo, Lootcase, Sankat City), but then, why compare? For me, dark comedies—an underrated, understated genre—are always welcome. The more, the merrier. Besides, Ludo featured Rajkummar Rao and Sanya Malhotra too, though I believe that she wasn’t the first choice for Toaster.
The film is ingeniously plotted. Rajkummar Rao is Ramakant, a born miser (his explanation for this unconquerable trait is that he has inherited it!) of incredible range, if that’s the correct term! His wife, Shilpa (Sanya Malhotra), is helpless but she convinces him that her Guruji (Karamveer Choudhary’s) daughter’s wedding gift from them must be expensive. The choice falls on a toaster costing what Ramakant feels is a bomb (Rs. 4999). But when the wedding is broken at the last moment, his only aim is to get back the expensive present!
He audaciously demands it back from the aggrieved parents, who disgustedly tell him that they have donated all wedding gifts to an orphanage. Ramakant heads there and circumstances finally make him steal the toaster from there. But he is seen by witnesses.
Ramakant decides to keep the toaster with their neighbor, D’Souza aunty (Seema Pahwa), whose wastrel son is Glen (Abhishek Banerjee), a complete junkie. However, the sudden death of the lady and a tussle for the toaster with Glen when he is under the influence of drugs leads to his death.
And then the blackmailing begins. The cops investigate both Glen’s death and the case of the missing toaster, based on a report filed by Nandini (Farah Khan), the head of the orphanage. The events dovetail into more murders, with a slimy politician (Jitendra Joshi) playing a crucial role as Glen had been blackmailing him for his sleazy activities with a video.
Rajkummar Rao, who has made it his ambition to do totally disparate roles by delving into their depths, comes up believably trumps again. Sanya Malhotra, ever-bankable, is excellent as Shilpa, the loyal wife who is helpless about her husband’s trait—the last sequence about how they celebrate their anniversary is a scream and one of the highlights of the film. The supporting cast plays true to type, with Upendra Limaye as the cynical cop again, Jitendra Joshi as Amre, Seema Pahwa as Mrs. D’Souza, and Parnalekha as the cop.
But the actor who stands out is, above all, Archana Puran Singh as Malini Pherwani aunty, the elderly neighbor with an agenda, in what is probably the best role of her career. She is formidable indeed in every shade she has shown through her extraordinary performance, a full 40 years after she made her debut with Jalwa.
Abhishek Banerjee is superb as the junkie Glen, and a remarkable cameo comes from Naman Arora as the toaster salesman. Also impressive is Vinod Rawat as Guddu, Ramakant’s friend and later his accomplice. And if you think that’s a spoiler, no, it absolutely isn’t!
There are two cameos—Patralekhaa’s appearance works but Pratik Gandhi is wasted.
The music is functional, so also the technical values. In keeping with their sensibilities of the makers, the dialogues are realistic and quite humorous, though it is the crazy situations that actually carry the day. Debut director Vivek Daschaudhry is competent, exploring life’s ironies, the psyche of a miser as well as the middle-class values and ethos of a suburban residential complex and their juxtaposition with fluid ease.
Overall, the film is a relaxing watch, so for it.
Rating: ***1/2
Netflix presents Kampa Film’s Toaster Produced by: Patralekhaa Directed by: Vivek Daschaudary Written by: Parveez Shaikh, Akshat Ghildial & Anagh Mukherjee Music: Aman Pant Starring: Rajkummar Rao, Sanya Malhotra, Archana Puran Singh, Seema Pahwa, Jitendra Joshi, Upendra Limaye, Parnalekha, Vinod Rawat, Naman Arora, Karamveer Choudhary, Amita Pareva, Sp. App: Abhishek Banerjee, Patralekhaa & Pratik Gandhi
