Years
ago,
a
popular
TV
series
MALGUDI
DAYS
left
an
indelible
impression
on
the
minds
of
viewers.
Now
Shyam
Benegal's
Welcome
To
Sajjanpur
takes
you
back
to
a
hamlet
that
has
its
share
of
assorted
characters:
a
letter
writer,
a
power-hungry
goon,
a
eunuch,
a
short
tempered
army
man
and
his
widowed
daughter-in-law,
a
compounder,
a
house
wife
who's
husband,
working
in
Mumbai,
hasn't
showed
up
for
four
Diwalis...
These
are
characters
you've
seen,
witnessed,
might
even
relate
to.
Actually,
Welcome
To
Sajjanpur
is
more
on
the
lines
of
a
Hrishikesh
Mukherjee
film.
It's
not
heavy
on
your
mind,
even
though
there's
ample
drama
happening
every
now
and
then.
But
everything
is
presented
without
going
overboard.
Welcome
To
Sajjanpur
works
because
of
its
simplicity.
Expect
no
glitz-n-glam
here.
In
fact,
it
doesn't
even
have
a
strong
plot
since
it's
a
character-driven
film.
Yet,
Welcome
To
Sajjanpur
keeps
your
interest
alive
in
most
parts.
Final
verdict?
Watch
Welcome
To
Sajjanpur
for
its
simplicity.
Its
strength
lies
in
its
story
and
how
well
a
seasoned
director
like
Shyam
Benegal
narrates
it.
Let's
just
say,
Welcome
To
Sajjanpur
is
certainly
welcome!
Mahadev
[Shreyas
Talpade]
is
one
of
the
few
educated
young
men
in
Sajjanpur.
His
ambition
is
to
be
a
novelist,
but
finds
it
easier
to
make
a
living
by
writing
and
reading
letters
sitting
next
to
the
post
office.
His
ability
to
write
persuasive
letters
makes
him
popular
with
the
largely
non-literate
population
of
the
town.
Aware
of
this
power,
he
soon
uses
his
talent
to
manipulate
people
with
amusing
and
sometimes
not
such
amusing
results.
Shyam
Benegal
may
be
best
known
for
intense
films,
but
as
you
watch
Welcome
To
Sajjanpur,
it
dawns
upon
you
that
he's
equally
proficient
when
it
comes
to
light
entertainers.
The
character
portrayed
by
Shreyas
and
his
interaction
with
various
people
make
the
proceedings
exciting.
Note
his
scenes
with
the
goonda
who's
aiming
to
be
a
politician
[Yashpal
Sharma]
or
one
of
the
orthodox
ladies
of
the
village
[Ila
Arun].
Even
the
romantic
scenes
with
his
childhood
sweetheart
[Amrita
Rao],
now
married
to
someone
else,
are
cute.
The
twists
and
turns
in
the
second
hour
are
the
best
part
of
the
enterprise.
Also,
the
end
is
very
novel.
On
the
flip
side,
the
unwarranted
songs
in
the
narrative
spoil
the
show.
Ideally,
the
film
could've
done
without
any
song.
Besides,
the
length
should've
been
controlled.
Every
actor
in
Welcome
To
Sajjanpur
delivers
a
sparkling
performance,
but
the
show
belongs
to
Shreyas
Talpade.
This
is
his
most
accomplished
performance
since
IQBAL.
Amrita
Rao
is
admirable.
It's
at
par
with
VIVAH.
Yashpal
Sharma
[terrific],
Ila
Arun
[superb],
Divya
Dutta
[effective],
Ravi
Kissen
[wonderful],
Rajeshwari
[nice]
and
Ravi
Jhankal
[exceptional]
are
delightful.
Kunal
Kapoor's
presence
comes
as
a
surprise.
On
the
whole,
Welcome
To
Sajjanpur
is
an
interesting
watch.
At
the
box-office,
the
film
has
the
potential
to
go
from
strength
to
strength
with
a
positive
word
of
mouth.