Rajma Chawal
Rajma Chawal is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film directed by Leena Yadav and written by Vivek Anchalia. It stars Rishi Kapoor as a widowed father who creates a fake social media profile to reconnect with his estranged son, played by Anirudh Tanwar, with Amyra Dastur in a supporting role. The film explores themes of generational gaps and the role of social media in family relationships. It premiered at the 20th MAMI Mumbai Film Festival on 29 October 2018 and was released on Netflix on 30 November 2018.[1][2]Plot and themes
Plot summary
Following the death of his wife, Raj Mathur, a widower, relocates with his teenage son Kabir from upscale New Delhi to the bustling neighborhood of Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi, where Raj grew up. The move disrupts Kabir's life, including his music band and cherished memories of his mother, exacerbating the already strained father-son relationship as Kabir withdraws into resentment and isolation.[3][4] Desperate to bridge the emotional gap, Raj, with guidance from a neighborhood friend, creates a fake Facebook profile under the name "Tara," posing as an attractive young Canadian woman using a borrowed photograph. Kabir, intrigued by the profile, accepts the friend request and begins confiding in "Tara" through messages about his grief, anger toward his father, and daily struggles, gradually opening up in a way he never does with Raj.[5][6] The photograph belongs to Seher, a young hairdresser from Meerut who is estranged from her conservative family after a past incident involving an unwanted pregnancy. During one of Kabir's band performances, he encounters Seher in person, mistaking her for "Tara," which sparks an immediate attraction and leads to a budding romance. Upon learning of the deception from Raj, Seher, facing financial difficulties, agrees to continue the online charade as "Tara" in exchange for payment, while her real-life relationship with Kabir deepens through dates and shared moments.[3][4][6] As Kabir's bond with "Tara" influences his real interactions with Seher and prompts him to reflect on his family, tensions rise when Seher develops genuine feelings for Kabir and questions the ongoing ruse. The climax unfolds when Kabir uncovers the truth—that "Tara" is his father Raj—during a confrontation at home, triggered by suspicious online messages and Seher's reluctant confession, leading to an explosive argument where Kabir feels betrayed and storms out.[5][7][6] In the resolution, Raj confronts his own mistakes in parenting and the deception's fallout, while Seher chooses honesty over the payment, supporting Kabir through his anger. Father and son reconcile during a heartfelt family meal of rajma chawal, a dish symbolizing Raj's simpler roots, as Kabir forgives his father, they rebuild their connection, and Seher joins them, forming a new family dynamic amid the vibrant Chandni Chowk community.[3][7][6]Themes
Rajma Chawal delves into the complexities of father-son relationships in contemporary India, portraying the emotional chasm exacerbated by grief over the loss of a maternal figure, relocation from a familiar home, and entrenched generational divides. The film illustrates how the death of Kabir's mother creates lasting resentment toward his father, Raj, who is perceived as having moved on too readily, leading to Kabir's withdrawal into his music and urban alienation. This dynamic reflects broader societal shifts where traditional familial bonds strain under modern pressures like migration and changing paternal roles.[8][5] Central to the narrative is the role of social media in both facilitating and hindering personal connections, particularly through deception and the erosion of authentic identities. Raj's creation of a fictitious female persona, "Tara," on Facebook to befriend his son underscores the platform's potential for bridging emotional gaps while highlighting risks of online pretense that complicate trust and intimacy. This motif critiques how digital interactions in India often blur boundaries between reality and virtuality, amplifying isolation rather than resolving it.[9][10][5] Reconciliation and forgiveness emerge as pivotal forces driving family unity, with the titular dish symbolizing enduring comfort, tradition, and maternal warmth amid turmoil. As Raj confesses his online ruse, the shared meal of rajma chawal serves as a ritual of healing, evoking nostalgia and prompting Kabir to confront his grief, ultimately fostering mutual understanding. This resolution emphasizes forgiveness as essential for mending fractured bonds in Indian households navigating loss.[10][8][5] The film offers subtle commentary on gender roles and romance in the digital era, exemplified by the "Tara" alias and Kabir's evolving bond with Seher, which navigates online deceptions and authentic affections. By having a father inhabit a feminine digital identity, it probes societal expectations around gender in virtual spaces, where romance flourishes yet falters due to hidden truths, reflecting millennial dating dynamics in urban India.[5][8] Set against the backdrop of middle-class existence in Old Delhi's Chandni Chowk, Rajma Chawal captures urban transitions from structured, community-oriented lives to fragmented modernity, intensified by the absence of maternal anchors. The neighborhood's vibrant, secular fabric contrasts Kabir's dislocation, underscoring themes of cultural continuity and adaptation in a rapidly changing metropolis.[10][5][8]Production
Development
The development of Rajma Chawal began around 2017, when director Leena Yadav sought to explore a lighthearted comedy-drama centered on family dynamics in the digital age. Inspired by her own father's attempts to connect with family through Facebook, Yadav envisioned a story highlighting how social media could bridge generational gaps while underscoring the emotional complexities of relationships.[11][10] The screenplay was penned by Vivek Anchalia, who crafted an original narrative about a widowed father resorting to online deception—posing as a young woman on social media—to reconnect with his estranged son.[11] Yadav collaborated with Anchalia and Manu Rishi Chadha on the script, emphasizing authentic Delhi locales like Chandni Chowk to ground the emotional authenticity of the characters' interactions.[11] The production was presented by SaarthiE Entertainment, with key producers including Capt. Gulab Singh Tanwar and Aseem Bajaj, alongside Yadav herself.[12] Key creative decisions focused on infusing contemporary elements like Facebook into the father-son reconnection plot, while prioritizing the film's title—suggested by lead actor Rishi Kapoor—as a metaphor for simple, enduring familial bonds.[11] Development faced challenges in balancing humor with dramatic depth in this slice-of-life tale, ensuring the social media-driven deception felt relatable without overshadowing the heartfelt core.[10] Initially slated for a theatrical release in late 2018, the project shifted course when Netflix acquired worldwide rights in September 2018, enabling a global premiere at the BFI London Film Festival that October.[13]Filming
Principal photography for Rajma Chawal occurred primarily in Chandni Chowk and other areas of Old Delhi, with additional shoots in New Delhi, Saket in Delhi, and Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, to authentically portray middle-class urban life amid the city's vibrant street environments.[14] The production schedule ran from November 7, 2017, to January 15, 2018, enabling a streamlined process that contributed to the film's final runtime of 129 minutes.[14][15] Cinematographer Donald McAlpine captured the dynamic essence of Delhi's locales through visually striking compositions that highlighted the area's rhythmic energy.[16] Editor Thom Noble managed the post-production pacing to seamlessly integrate the film's comedic and dramatic sequences, varying the rhythm to maintain narrative flow.[17] Filming in crowded markets presented logistical hurdles for achieving realism, though the supportive response from residents in Chandni Chowk and Jama Masjid facilitated on-location shoots.[18] Social media interface scenes relied on practical effects supplemented by limited visual effects work, including motion graphics and artistry from a small VFX team, to represent online interactions without extensive digital augmentation.[19] Director Leena Yadav adopted a hands-on role during principal photography to uphold cultural accuracy in depicting Delhi's everyday life.[7]Cast
Main cast
The main cast of Rajma Chawal centers on three key performers who drive the film's exploration of family bonds and modern communication challenges. Rishi Kapoor stars as Raj Mathur, the widowed father navigating grief and isolation after his wife's death and business setbacks, who invents a fake online persona named "Tara" to reconnect with his son and inadvertently draws in real-world interactions that propel the story's emotional core.[3][8][1] His dual portrayal of the earnest yet bumbling Raj and the fabricated Tara infuses the narrative with both heartfelt vulnerability and comedic mishaps, underscoring themes of parental sacrifice.[3] Anirudh Tanwar portrays Kabir Mathur, Raj's young son and aspiring musician, who wrestles with profound loss from his mother's passing and resents his father's relocation choices that uproot cherished memories, forming the crux of the intergenerational rift.[8][1] Kabir's arc of identity struggles and budding independence highlights the film's focus on youthful alienation amid familial upheaval. Amyra Dastur plays Seher (also referred to as Tara in the online context), Kabir's romantic interest and a spirited young woman whose real-life involvement stems from Raj's deception, ultimately facilitating the subplot's romantic entanglements and aiding the family's path to understanding and healing.[8][1] Her character's transition from unwitting participant to active reconciler ties the personal relationships to the broader resolution.Supporting cast
Sheeba Chaddha portrays Sapna, a family friend and member of the protagonist Raj Mathur's circle of old Delhi companions, whose performance contributes to the film's depiction of intergenerational community dynamics and warmth.[20][21] Her role provides subtle support in familial interactions, offering an external perspective on relationships within the neighborhood ensemble.[7] Aparshakti Khurana appears as Baljeet Singh Chautala, a minor character in the social circle surrounding the leads, whose energetic presence injects comic relief into subplots and lightens the ensemble's humorous moments.[20] This portrayal adds contrast to the central family tensions by highlighting the supportive, chaotic camaraderie of the Delhi community.[4] Diksha Juneja plays Paro, a supporting figure who embodies the everyday neighborly element, enhancing the film's authentic portrayal of local relationships and social bonds in the setting.[19] Her character contributes to the broader world-building by representing the interconnected web of friends and acquaintances that surrounds the main family.[7] These supporting roles collectively offer external viewpoints on the protagonists' dynamics, fostering a sense of communal reconciliation and humor without overshadowing the core narrative.[20]Music
Soundtrack
The soundtrack of Rajma Chawal comprises seven original songs composed by Hitesh Sonik, with lyrics penned by Irshad Kamil, running for a total duration of 18:09 minutes. Released as an audio album coinciding with the film's Netflix premiere on November 30, 2018, the tracks blend contemporary Bollywood melodies with subtle cultural nuances reflective of everyday Indian life.[22][23] These songs serve as an integral part of the film's emotional and cultural fabric, enhancing key narrative moments such as family bonding and romantic developments through their lyrical depth and melodic integration. Upbeat numbers evoke the bustling energy of Delhi's streets and community interactions, while more introspective tracks underscore themes of personal grief and reconciliation.[24]| Song Title | Singer(s) | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Yaariyan | Arijit Singh, Amit Mishra | 4:00 |
| Kahaani | Sunidhi Chauhan | 1:14 |
| Ha Ha He | Mohit Chauhan | 3:09 |
| Bemaani | Amit Mishra | 4:05 |
| Goliyaan | Amit Mishra | 3:15 |
| Saath Tere | Sunidhi Chauhan | 1:08 |
| Paas Aao | Amit Mishra | 1:18 |