''Rajma Chawal'' () is a 2018 Hindi-language Indian

comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

film directed by Leena Yadav, produced by

Gulab Singh Tanwar Gulab Singh Tanwar (also known as Captain Gulab Singh; born 1964) is an Indian film producer, business personality and a former pilot having worked with Indian Airlines. He is the founder and owner of Saarthi Airways which provides helicopters and ...

and Aseem Bajaj, which stars

Rishi Kapoor Rishi Kapoor (4 September 1952 – 30 April 2020) was an Indian actor, film director, and producer who worked in Hindi films. In a career spanning 50 years, he is regarded as one of the most successful and accomplished actors in Hindi cinema. ...

, Anirudh Tanwar and

Amyra Dastur Amyra Dastur (; born 7 May 1993) is an Indian actress who prominently works in Hindi, Punjabi, Telugu, and Tamil films. Dastur is known for her work in ''Anegan'' (2015), '' Mr. X'' (2015), '' Kaalakaandi'' (2018), '' Prassthanam'' (2019), '' ...

in the lead. The film revolves around a father-son relationship in today's time. The film was released by

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

on 30 November 2018.

Plot

Raj Mathur (

) and his son Kabir move from their New Delhi house back to the family's old house in

Chandni Chowk The Chandni Chowk (meaning Moonlight Square) is one of the oldest and busiest markets in Old Delhi, India. There is another location in Pune with the name Chandani Chowk. Located close to the Old Delhi railway station, the Mughal-era Red Fort ...

after Kabir's mother dies in an accident. Kabir, a guitar player, is unhappy with the move and resent his dad for forcing him to leave his friends, his band and the house with the memories of his mother. Raj hides his troubles explains that he wants to shift in with his old friends. Kabir accuses his dad and becomes more withdrawn from his dad, and the two start shouting and fighting with each other. Raj is troubled by the lack of any communication between them. He decides to join Facebook to connect with his son, only to be blocked by Kabir. At Beeji's suggestion, he steals the identity of a girl disconnected from Facebook and pretends to be "Tara" to talk to his son. Meanwhile, Tara's real-life persona Seher (

) is a salon girl constantly borrowing money from her abusive boyfriend Baljeet to stay afloat. She is exploited by her boyfriend and running away from him since he is abusive, but she returns due to her financial situation. Kabir realizes that his dad, too, has suffered a grievous loss of his partner after his mother's death. Kabir opens his heart to Tara (in reality, his father) on Facebook, and she, in turn, shares the father's feelings with Kabir. He becomes closer to Tara and also becomes closer to his father. He meets new friends, starts a new band and even writes a new song from the poem "Tara's dad" (in reality, his own father) wrote for "Tara's mom" (in reality, Kabir's mom). His band gets a chance for a live performance at a popular joint, and he visits his New Delhi house to pay tribute to his mom. There he learns that the house has been sold & he becomes angry that his dad did not tell him. The band's performance is a success, and he sees Seher, who kisses him to get away from her possessive boyfriend, after which she leaves. Confused and angry, he leaves his father's home to stay with his friend and is determined to find "Tara", and he messages her on Facebook. His father Raj has seen Seher too and thinks the game is up, but he finds the real "Tara" Seher and convinces her to pretend to be Tara and coax his son back home with his friends. Incidentally, Seher is attracted to Kabir after meeting him but is scared to fall in love because of her history. He impresses her, and she falls for him. As the relationship progresses, Seher and Kabir are together. Seher discloses that she was an obedient daughter till she became pregnant with her boyfriend's baby. She stole money from her house and gave it to him, but he dumped her, ran to Canada and left her estranged from her small-town conservative family in Meerut. She ran away to Delhi, got an abortion and started living single. She wants to go to Meerut, but her parents deny her. She goes with Kabir to celebrate

Diwali Diwali (), also called Deepavali (IAST: ''Dīpāvalī'') or Deepawali (IAST: ''Dīpāwalī''), is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual v ...

with his father Raj, and they end up making out in her rented flat. The next day she secretly meets Raj, who asks her to end the relationship. Seher tells him she has fallen in love with Kabir, but Raj calls her a fraud and insults her while saying she is very different from Kabir. She breaks up with Kabir and starts working hard in the Salon to pay back her debts. Heartbroken, Kabir returns to his father Raj, who asks him to concentrate on his music. Seeing Kabir, Beeji and Raj's friend try to persuade him to help Kabir with Seher, but he insults and rebuffs them. Unable to sing, a depressed Kabir avoids his band and is not going to band events, leading to his music career suffering. His father pretends to have a heart attack and is taken to hospital by a distraught Kabir. Kabir is furious with his father's constant deception & lies and runs away. Upon returning home, Seher is spotted by Kabir returning his dad's money, and she runs away while Raj's friend gives Kabir the truth. Raj and his friends go to the girls' hostel to find Seher, where she is staying after clearing the landlord's debt, hoping that she can help find Kabir or know where he is. Using an app, they trace Kabir to a Metro Station, where his father finally has an honest conversation, opening up for the first time. Raj tells Kabir that his mother covered her injuries to ensure that Kabir's exam next day is unaffected. He comes clean about his Facebook deception and other lies, admitting that whatever he did was out of love with the intention to come closer to his son; the two eventually hug. Raj tells Kabir that he has realized that Seher is a wonderful girl and he should go after her and get her back. Kabir finds Seher, and then they get back together as Kabir's band continues to play in the background. Kabir's band is successful; Seher goes with Kabir to Meerut and reconciles with her family; Seher lives with Kabir in Chandni Chowk, while he sings that his heart and soul belongs in Chandni Chowk. After the performance, Kabir looks at the pigeons and leaves to spend time with Seher and his family and friends.

Cast

as Raj Mathur * Anirudh Tanwar as Kabir Mathur ** Vedant Sinha as Young Kabir *

as Seher / Tara Chaudhary *

Nirmal Rishi Dr. Nirmal Rishi (born 1943) is an Indian Punjabi film and television actress. She is most remembered for her role as Gulabo Maasi in her first movie '' Long Da Lishkara'' (1983). She is best known for appearing in Punjabi movies like '' Ni ...

as Beeji / Bebe *

Aparshakti Khurana Aparshakti Khurana (born 18 November 1987) is an Indian actor. He is the younger brother of actor Ayushmann Khurrana. Khurana is known for his supporting roles in the films '' Dangal'' (2016), '' Stree'' (2018), '' Pati Patni Aur Woh'' (2019), ...

as Baljeet Singh Chautala * Harish Khanna as Kuljeet *

Sheeba Chaddha Sheeba Chaddha is an Indian film, stage and television actress. She received nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performances in the 2022 films '' Badhaai Do'' and '' Doctor G'', winning for the former. Earl ...

as Kabir's Aunt *

Manu Rishi Manu Rishi Chadha (born 3 January, 1971) is an Indian actor, lyricist, script and dialogue writer who works in Hindi films. Rishi is trained under theatre director Arvind Gaur for six years. He won the Filmfare Best Dialogue Award in 2009 for ...

as Mittal * Jitendra Shastri as Anees * Diksha Juneja as Paro * Akash Dabas as Sanju *

Raja Hasan Raja Hasan Sagar (born 25 December 1982) is an Indian playback singer from Bikaner, Rajasthan. He was a finalist on ''Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007'', in which he finished as runner-up to Aneek Dhar. He was a judge in the singing competition s ...

as Jacky Jam (Singer/Musician) *

Mukesh Chhabra Mukesh Chhabra (born 27 May 1984) is an Indian casting director, filmmaker and actor. Some of his notable works include ''Bajrangi Bhaijan'' (2015), ''Bombay Velvet'' (2015), '' Dangal'' (2016), '' Dil Bechara'' (2020), '' Scam 1992'' (2020), ...

as Anoop Ji *

Brijendra Kala Brijendra Kala is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is known for his subtle portrayals of characters rooted in reality. He gained attention for his small roles in mainstream cinema. Early life Kala spent his childhood in Mathura, ...

as Dr. Vedaprkash ( Dheela) *

Adil Hussain Khandkar Mohammad Adil Hussain (; born 5 October 1963) is an Indian actor who is known for his work in several Indian independent and mainstream film productions, as well as international cinema, in films such as '' The Reluctant Fundamentali ...

Music

The film music and score were composed by

Hitesh Sonik Sunidhi Chauhan (pronounced ; born Nidhi Chauhan, 14 August 1983) is an Indian playback singer. Known for her Bold vocal range, she has recorded songs for films in several Indian languages and received accolades including three Filmfare Awards ...

, while the lyrics were written by

Irshad Kamil Dr. Irshad Kamil (born 5 September 1971) is an Indian poet and lyricist. His songs appeared in Bollywood films including ''Jab We Met'', '' Chameli'', '' Love Aaj Kal'', '' Rockstar'', '' Laila Majnu'', ''Aashiqui 2'', ''Raanjhanaa'', ''Highw ...

Release

Rajma Chawal premiered at the

BFI London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival held in London, England, in collaboration with the British Film Institute. Founded in 1957, the festival runs for two weeks every October. In 2016, the BFI estimated that around 240 fe ...

in October 2018, and was released on

on 30 November.

References

External links

* * {{Bollywood Hungama movie, rajma-chawal 2018 films 2010s Hindi-language films Indian romantic comedy-drama films 2018 romantic comedy-drama films Indian direct-to-video films 2010s Indian films Netflix original films Films set in Delhi Films shot in Delhi Films directed by Leena Yadav