Mere Pyare Prime Minister review: Kids steal your heart, the film doesn’t!

Over the years, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has come to be recognised for his unique brand of cinema. Hard-hitting without any compromise on quality entertainment is how we would describe it. And though there are films on the filmmaker’s repertoire that would defy this, the brilliance of his films like Rang De Basanti and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag will forever overshadow the rest that do not make the cut. In his latest offering, Mere Pyare Prime Minister, Mehra at once addresses multiple issues, but doesn’t make it preachy at any level. Open defecation, crime against women, the mindset towards rape victims, awareness of sexual health, corruption, disparity between the rich and the poor – are some of the several issues addressed in this straight-from-the-heart simple film.

What Mere Pyare Prime Minister is all about? Sargam (Anjali Patil) is a spirited single mother residing in Gandhi Nagar slum with her street-savvy eight-year-old son Kanhaiyya aka Kannu (Om Kanojiya). The mother-son duo shares a strong and loving bond and Kannu is ready to go to any length to ensure his mother’s happiness. A happy-go-lucky pair, the mother stitches clothes for a living. On the other hand, Kannu does odd jobs while working on a newspaper vending stall run by Pappu (Niteesh Wadhwa). Pappu has a soft spot for Sargam and is clearly besotted by her. The slum does not have any public toilets and so while the men and children use the nearby water-pipelines to defecate, the women go out in groups late at night to other nearby areas. On one such night, Sargam is raped. This incident prompts Kannu to do something about the toilet issue in their slum. However, the local authorities refuse to take up his request of building a common toilet in the area – since the slum is on a disputed property between BMC and the Railways. After coming up with several other ingenious ways to get the toilet made and failing Kannu comes up with an idea. An optimistic Kannu along with two of his friends – Ringtone and Niraala – sets out to meet the Prime Minister to request him to build a toilet, not for him, but for his mother.

Yay: The chemistry between the four children – Kannu, Ringtone, Niraala, Mangla is the best part about the film. Their innocence is charming too. There are some endearing moments in the film like the scene where Kannu builds a makeshift toilet for his mother. There’s also a scene where Kannu is distributing free condoms to passers-by. Although how justifiable is a scene in which a child is made to distribute free condoms in exchange for money by a social worker is highly debatable. Then there’s Kannu using the rather posh washroom of the firang social-worker in the way he thinks is right.

When it comes to performances, the kids are fun to watch, and perform effortlessly. Full marks for the casting here. Atul Kulkarni as the PM’s senior officer is impactful even in a small role and his interaction with the children brings a smile. Anjali Patil looks comfortable in her role, as does Makarand Deshpande as a lecherous local. Rasika Agashe as the neighbour Rabiya di is impressive. A plus of the film is that while skimming the surface of a plethora of issues plaguing the country at large including corruption, crime against women, and addressing STDs, the film is breezy and at no point weighs you down with the seriousness of the causes.

Nay: We have seen films like I AM Kalam, where a boy from a small village sets out to meet the President. The film had you rooting for the little boy. Unfortunately, you just can’t seem to empathise or feel much for the mother son-duo here. In trying to keep the film from being very serious and striving to keep the entertainment factor balanced, the filmmaker falters big time. None of the issues seem to reach a depth that would make the audience truly feel for the character or their situation. A forced anti-climax doesn’t help either. The language of the dialogues between the mother and son seems out of place. The mother-child chemistry is also not as poignant as it could’ve been. Sargam and Pappu’s romantic track though well-done, is simply too-good-to-be-true. Story is predictable and too simplified which might not appeal to multiplex audience. At the same time there are just too many issues that may not click with single screen audiences either.

CineBlitz verdict: Mehra’s sincere and simple approach and an earnest effort as a filmmaker to address several issues reflects throughout the film. But it is in his attempt to try and not make it preachy that he falls short. It’s almost like the filmmaker was holding back what his heart wanted to truly showcase. His film may have to pay a price for this compromise. Mehra’s intentions are commendable; the film however leaves much to desire. The film is strictly an okay-watch and may not tickle your cinematic palette in a theatre.

Rating: 2.5 stars