Team TudumI initially realized what stinginess really means as a child. The father of my friend was a saver, and he used it as a competition. The lights were forced to switch off immediately. Like gold was petrol. Even an additional chapati was accompanied by a discourse. After a while, it ceased to be irritating and began to feel performative. Almost funny.
Perhaps that is why characters such as Ramakant Parikh in Toaster seem like they are all too familiar. They don’t need punchlines. Their life is the joke. And in a city such as Mumbai, where everything is more than it needs to be, the economy is not a vice but a virtue.
A Scrooge in the Thick of It
Following Zara Hatke Zara Bachke, now Rajkummar Rao gets a chance to dwell on the life of a man who despises money more than anything.
Rao is cast as Ramakant Parikh, a man who is so obsessed with saving money to the point of being ridiculous. He resides in a seniors’ home because it is less expensive. Tiny refunds he rejoices in. He tries to mooch on food, conserve fuel in a weird manner,s and even tries to use his wife’s IVF treatment as a bargaining chip.
Certain habits are blown out of proportion. Others are disturbingly tangible. Immediately turning off the lights. Reusing freebies. Carrying out mental calculations on the price of raising a kid. You have seen this kind of person already; you have seen him perhaps in your own home.
One Toaster, Endless Trouble
The narrative starts with something easy.
When his wife, Shilpa (Sanya Malhotra), makes Ramakant purchase an expensive toaster as a wedding gift. The problem? The next day, the wedding breaks up.
Of course, Ramakant would like to get his money back.
What ensues is a ludicrous sequence of events. His efforts to recover the toaster led to blackmail, robbery, police harassment ,andev en murder. On the way, he meets an unscrupulous cop (Upendra Limaye) and a shady blackmailer (Abhishek Banerjee).
The movie becomes a full-fledged crime comedy, with a mischievous act of one minor action leading to a total disaster.
Comedy With an Awareness of Its Tone
Toaster does not strive to be humorous. It adopts a rather anarchic, self-conscious tone.
Throughout are nods to pop culture. A few cameos hit the nail on the head. Other jokes are based more on the absurd than the wit. But when it clicks, it works; the film does not think it is smarter than it is.
That being said, the story does slow down at times. Particularly when Ramakant turns into a mere guy in a jam, rather than the singularly annoying Scrooge that we began with. The strongest character is one whose humor is motivated by his personality.
Performances That Hold It Together
The film is supported by Rajkummar Rao.
He portrays Ramakant with all his heart. No effort to revamp the character or smooth out his lines. He is obdurately himself, even in extreme circumstances. It is consistency that works on the performance.
Sanya Malhotra is a balance. Her Shilpa starts off tolerating Ramakant’s habits but gradually grows frustrated. Their affair brings emotional significance to the mess.
Then we have Upendra Limaye, who serves as a source of some of the funniest scenes in the movie with a stoic face. His straight-faced vitality is a standout in a tale of over-the-top characters.
In a surprisingly weird role, Archana Puran Singh overtly goes into the madness. And it pays off.
More than a Comedy
Toaster is at its very core a marriage.
The habits of Ramakant are not amusing, but tiresome. What initially seemed kooky begins to put a strain on his relationship with Shilpa. His deceits and omissions start taking their toll.
However, the movie does not insist on a drastic change. It makes do with something more realistic — instead, acceptance. All shortcomings are not repairable. Others can only be dealt with.
It is there that the movie gets its emotional grounding.
Mumbai as the Mute Personage
Toaster is a success in the anarchy that is Mumbai, just like many other stories in the city.
It is not only crime or corruption that is a threat. It is the daily insanity, the increasing expenses, overcrowding,and hustle. The movie is subtle in depicting the manner in which common men are sucked into extraordinary situations.
Ramakant is no hero. He is simply a survivor who tries to live in his weird manner. And in a city such as Mumbai, that will suffice.
Final Verdict
Toaster is a mes, and uneven, yet always watchable.
It is best done when it inclines towards its main character, a man whose greatest flaw turns into his greatest trouble. Rajkummar Rao ensures that Ramakant is not made to seem artificial even when the plot becomes ludicrous.
The movie does not strive to be perfect. Rather, it welcomes chaos, similar to the city that it is set in.
And perhaps, that is what.
You do not have to have an expensive toaster to be burnt. Life does the job sometimes rather well.
