Family Circus Movie Review

Story: Two best friends Ronak and JJ lead a middle-class lifestyle and dream of becoming rich — a millionaire to be precise. Things go topsy-turvy when they decide to take the help of an underworld don Altaf Anna to end their money troubles and to win the heart of a girl called Riya.

Review: Two friends are having some money issues and are chased by a don. This is somewhere a formula that has been repeated by many Gujarati film-makers. So that element of predictability makes the narrative boring. And the first half of the film is quite slow and parts of the film are badly edited too. Sharp editing could have salvaged the speed and it would have helped in keeping one hooked to the storyline. The slow pace of the story becomes difficult to handle. And the audiences are simply expected to accept it thanks to a romantic number by Shaan 'Laagyo Re Prem Rang. Comic timings disappoint one a lot though well-etched dialogues come as a relief. The music by Hemang Dholakia especially a song by Sunidhi Chauhan “Todi Didhi Chhe Main Soneri Saakhal” is excellent.
The movie picks up somewhat in the second half with a fun-chase (though it is predictable). When it comes to direction, Viral Rao has done justice to some extent but the film fails majorly on the editing front. So, what we get in the end is a dull movie. The storyline might remind you of influences from Priyadarshan's comedy flicks.
The film scores quite well so far as the performances of its lead actors are concerned. Raunaq Kamdar and Monal Gajjar look amazing together and as a couple they have a crackling chemistry. They both have done justice to their roles. Raunaq especially as an angry young man does a fabulous job and his makeover from a spectacled simple looking guy (Ronak) to a stylish collegian seems effortless. Bharat Chawda adds more spice to the movie with his entry as Aarav. Smit Pandya does justice to his character with that ‘base’ in his voice and in a don avatar with a unique name 'Altaf Anna' (one has seen enough of them in South-Indian films.) Mehul Buch as Monal's father has acted well. Mitra Gadhvi is natural and good at his performance but somewhere his performance almost feels like a repeat one from Chhello Divas and Shu Thayu?! The gang of 'Family Circus' — especially Archan Trivedi definitely springs up a happy surprise every time he comes on screen. A special mention of Karan Patel who was last seen in Dhh is pleasant as he is adorable as younger JJ (the adult one is essayed by Mitra Gadhvi).
The film is an average entertainer. It is a one-time watch with your family in case you have nothing much on your weekend planner.