One
of
my
childhood
memories
is
that
of
several
relatives
visiting
us
in
Mumbai
[presumably
for
a
few
days],
but
overstaying
their
welcome.
Those
days,
the
atithis
were
never
looked
upon
as
'intruders'.
Times
have
changed!
If
you
live
in
a
metropolis,
if
your
spouse
and
you
work
round-the-clock
and
have
commitments
to
honour,
any
extra
person
-
other
than
those
living
with
us
or
is
part
of
our
day-to-day
schedule
-
is
strictly
unwelcome.
His/her
arrival
may
cause
hindrance
and
rob
you
of
your
privacy.
ATITHI
TUM
KAB
JAOGE?
mirrors
a
reality,
but
the
story
has
scope
for
not
just
humour
and
emotions,
the
staple
diet
of
most
Hindi
movies,
but
there's
a
generous
dose
of
devotional
quotient
that
is
well
integrated
in
the
storyline.
Do
you
miss
movies
of
yore,
helmed
by
masters
like
Hrishikesh
Mukherjee
and
Basu
Chatterjee?
ATITHI
TUM
KAB
JAOGE?
may
not
be
a
CHUPKE
CHUPKE,
GOLMAAL,
CHITCHOR
or
KHATTA
MEETHA,
but
it
has
a
certain
old-world
charm
that
one
misses
in
cinema
of
today.
Final
word?
Bring
this
atithi
home!
It
tells
the
story
of
Puneet
[Ajay
Devgn]
and
Munmun
[Konkona],
a
married
couple
living
in
Mumbai.
Their
lives
take
an
interesting
turn
when
a
distant
relative,
Chachaji
[Paresh
Rawal],
turns
up
unannounced
at
their
doorstep
from
a
far-off
village.
The
guest
overstays
his
welcome,
so
much
so
that
the
exasperated
couple
come
up
with
various
ploys
to
hasten
his
departure.
ATITHI
TUM
KAB
JAOGE?
is
a
light-hearted
entertainer
that
tickles
your
funny
bone
at
several
points.
The
best
part
is,
you
not
only
laugh
at
the
funny
one-liners,
but
also
at
situations,
which
are
so
life-like
and
which
makes
you
connect
with
them
instantly.
ATITHI
TUM
KAB
JAOGE?
rests
on
three
characters
primarily
-
Ajay,
Konkona
and
Paresh
-
and
director
Ashwni
Dhir
and
his
team
of
writers
[Robin
Bhatt,
Tushar
Hiranandani]
have
ensured
that
there
are
ample
[enjoyable]
scenes
that
you
carry
home.
What
really
takes
you
by
surprise
is
the
devotional
factor
that
has
been
smartly
injected
in
the
screenplay.
The
traditional
Indian
audiences
would
love
the
Mata
ki
aarti,
the
Ganesh
Chaturthi
festival
and
the
sanskaar
that
the
atithi
instils
in
Ajay
and
Konkona's
child.
But
the
writing
wanders
into
unwanted
areas,
which
could've
been
avoided
in
the
first
place.
The
raid
at
the
hotel,
where
Ajay,
Konkona
and
their
son
move
into,
seems
unnecessary.
Ditto
for
the
subsequent
scene
at
the
cop
station.
Immediately
thereafter,
Ajay
hires
the
services
of
a
Bhai
to
get
rid
of
Paresh,
which
looks
far-fetched.
These
three
incidents,
which
come
back
to
back,
only
add
to
the
length
of
the
film.
Also,
Paresh
breaking
wind
[gas/flatulence]
looks
funny
in
a
scene
or
two,
but
why
make
it
a
recurring
occurrence?
An
overdose
is
embarrassing!
However,
the
climax,
which
starts
with
the
sthapna
of
Lord
Ganesh's
idol
in
Ajay's
home,
till
the
culmination
of
the
story,
makes
the
goings-on
immensely
watchable.
Director
Ashwni
Dhir,
best
known
for
penning
comic
shows,
proves
that
he's
at
ease
handling
dramatic
[interval
point]
and
emotional
[climax]
scenes
with
gusto.
Pritam's
music
is
ordinary,
but
the
songs
fit
well
in
the
narrative,
especially
the
two
devotional
tracks.
The
title
track
[Amit
Mishra]
is
quite
catchy.
Aseem
Bajaj's
camerawork
is
first-rate.
Dialogues
[Ashwni
Dhir]
are
excellent.
Come
to
think
of
it,
it
requires
a
lot
of
courage
to
play
a
role
that's
devoid
of
star
mannerisms
and
Ajay
enacts
this
part
most
convincingly.
Konkona
is
spontaneous
and
a
complete
natural.
Paresh
is
superb
as
the
atithi.
He's
definitely
the
scene-stealer!
Satish
Kaushik
shines,
especially
in
the
sequence
when
he
apologises
to
Ajay.
Akhilendra
Mishra,
Mukesh
Tiwari
and
Viju
Khote
are
alright.
Sanjay
Mishra
is
first-rate.
On
the
whole,
ATITHI
TUM
KAB
JAOGE?
is
a
hilarious
movie,
but
unlike
any
slapstick
comedy.
It's
a
light-hearted
film
with
sensibility,
humour
and
a
strong
undercurrent
of
emotion.
This
atithi
is
sure
to
find
a
place
in
your
heart!
Directed
by
-
Ashwani
Dhir
Starring
-
Ajay
Devgn,
Konkona
Sen
Sharma,
Paresh
Rawal,
Satish
Kaushik,
Akhilendra
Mishra,
Sanjay
Mishra