In Firangi, comedian Kapil Sharma plays Manga, a not-so-young, uneducated, jobless man who is ridiculed by his peers because he was born feet-first. In olden times — the pre-Partition era in Firangi’s case — being born the wrong way (called a Breech birth) was like painting a bull’s eye on one’s forehead. For Manga, his constant failure to get a job with the police opens him up as a walking target of ridicule. However, being born this way also gives him mythological powers. He can make most physical ailments go away by kicking people on their rear ends.

This ability gets him a job with Mark Daniels (Edward Sonnenblick), a local liaison of the British government. Mark is a typical sly, opportunist ‘firangi’, who is a pain-in-the-neck for the local Raja (Kumud Mishra) who has his own shortfalls — namely a weakness to accumulate new wives, even at the risk of making bad deals with the British government.

Neither Mark, nor the Raja are Manga’s concern, however. Our hero’s interest lies with Sargi (Ishita Dutta), a shy girl-next-door from the other town. Things spiral out of control eventually. However, the fluidity of how stuff happens in this minimal story is what hooked my interest.

Comedian Kapil Sharma’s Firangi is no barrage of constant laughs but should be enjoyed for what it is

Director Rajiev Dhingra (working from a screenplay by him, Balwinder Singh Janjua and Rupinder Chahal) keeps a deliberately slow, steady pace, building Manga and the supporting characters into relatable human beings, no matter how stereotypical they may initially appear to be.

The marginally long middle section is a matter of debate — especially in critics’ circles. Personally, despite my own slight annoyance as well, I’ve seen far longer, meandering films set in the pre-Partition era, be it 1942: A Love Story, either of the popular Bhagat Singh movies or even Hey Ram! Admittedly, these films had a different function: to tell overly dramatic, epic stories. Firangi, by comparison, is less of a headache. The setting is simply a MacGuffin (a plot device) to tell a small, fun story. There are no grand, hidden messages about racial or social equality nor events that lead to rebellions.

Kapil Sharma is effortless and appealing as Manga. The role isn’t a departure from his perceived image from television. As the producer of Firangi, Sharma also makes it a point to keep the film family-friendly. There is no crassness in humour, no obviousness in punchlines, no trace of forced comedy — which many might have been expecting from Sharma. Frankly speaking, anyone expecting a constant barrage of high-comedy is pigeonholing Sharma’s acting abilities and the nature of the film. Firangi is his show from his entry to final fadeout. Enjoy it for what it is, not expect what it isn’t.

Published in Dawn, ICON, December 10th, 2017