When Peepli Live director Anusha Rizvi returns with a film after 15 years — and that too with a stellar cast featuring Farida Jalal, Sheeba Chaddha, Natasha Rastogi, Shreya Dhanwanthary and Kritika Kamra, among others — it’s hard not to hit play. Set in Delhi, The Great Shamsuddin Family, now streaming on JioHotstar, follows two generations of women and the relationship they share — equal parts annoying and caring — while also tracing the generational divide and the everyday challenges faced by Muslims in India.
Kritika Kamra plays Bani Ahmed, a writer racing against a 12-hour deadline to finish an application for a job in the US. Why America? Because it’s safer. But the doorbell rings, and then doesn’t stop.
First comes Bani’s cousin Iram (Shreya Dhanwanthary) with a bag stuffed with ₹25 lakh in cash. Then her motormouth professor friend Amitav (Purab Kohli) and his student Latika (Joyeeta Dutta). Soon after, Bani’s mother, Asiya (Dolly Ahluwalia), and her elder sister Akko (Farida Jalal) show up, who are planning a pilgrimage. They’re followed by Bani’s elder sister Humaira (Juhi Babbar Soni). Then, her cousin Zoheb (Nishank Verma) and his girlfriend Pallavi (Anushka Banerjee), who have eloped, are getting married. And finally, Zoheb’s mother, Saafiya (Sheeba Chaddha), and Iram’s mother, Nabeela (Natasha Rastogi), land up too.
And when so many people land up under one roof — and you throw multiple contrived situations at them — you get every flavour imaginable: sweet, sour, spicy, but never a dull moment.
The film packs in too much, as if deliberately trying to create chaos. There’s the generational gap, an interfaith relationship, familial expectations, responsibilities, and the everyday negotiations of being a Muslim family in an increasingly Islamophobic India — yet it keeps the tone light, laced with humour. The personal and the political sit side by side, treated with the same breezy touch, rooted in warmth and banter.
This slice-of-life comedy doesn’t seem to be trying to make a point, but just exists, as if claiming a space for a story of an ordinary Muslim household in Delhi, especially when popular culture has been on an overdrive to vilify. ‘These stories exist, we exist,’ the film appears to convey with its gentle humour and cosy setting.
The story is largely set in Bani’s home and is just about one day, and has almost a theatre-like quality. Its aesthetics lie in realism.
And while it isn’t a perfect film, and some aspects – such as the immediate fear following a communal incident – fail to land, the performances absolutely stand out.
Kamra is excellent as Bani, the responsible one trying to hold the chaos together. Dhanwanthary shines as the gullible Iram, cracking you up more often than you expect. Chaddha is reliably flawless, and Kohli’s Amitav manages to irritate you just the right amount.
And Farida Jalal? She’s a delight. She steals every scene — whether it’s her deadpan enquiry about Amitav (“Hindu hai? Chalo insaan ka bacha hai”), or her retort when the lawyer demands an extra bribe for Zoheb and Pallavi’s marriage: “At least, bribes should be secular.”
With a running time of about 100 minutes, The Great Shamsuddin Family isn’t a film that always has it all together, but one that’s engaging and warm. Not to mention, at a time when the film space is all about loud men inflicting violence, this light, chaotic ride truly stands out.
Film: The Great Shamsuddin Family
Director: Anusha Rizvi
Cast: Kritika Kamra, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Sheeba Chaddha, Farida Jalal, Purab Kohli
Rating: 3/5
