‘Sharmaji Namkeen’ to ‘Badhaai Ho’, Good Scripts Prove Age Is Just a Number

Rishi Kapoor and Paresh Rawal stole hearts with their stellar performances in 'Sharmaji Namkeen'.

Rishi Kapoor and Paresh Rawal in Sharmaji Namkeen and Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao in Badhaai Ho.

(Photo Courtesy: IMDb)

Recently, a performance that stole our hearts was that of Rishi Kapoor and Paresh Rawal's in Sharmaji Namkeen. Retired manager Brij Gopal Sharma (played by both Kapoor and Rawal) discovers that he cannot sit idle, and thus devises new means and ways to occupy himself. During his various escapades, Sharma reunites with his love for cooking, and that gets him work as a "specialist cook" in a kitty party.

The film is wholesome and is led by the stellar performances of both Kapoor and Rawal. That cements the belief that good scripts yet again prove that age is just a number when it comes to casting.

Here's looking at a few more such films:

Badhaai Ho

Gajraj Rao and Neena Gupta in Badhaai Ho.

(Photo Courtesy: YouTube)

Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao stole the show in Badhaai Ho. The film follows Priyamvada (Neena Gupta), a middle-aged woman, who discovers that she has become pregnant by accident. Priyamvada and her husband Jeetender Kaushik (Gajraj Rao) break the news to their sons, played by Ayushmann Khurrana and Shardul Rana. Thus begins the episode of humiliation and shame. Priyamvada and Jeetender, while anxious about how their world is going to turn upside down, are also subjected to the constant taunts from family and society.

Neena and Gajraj played this middle-aged couple with supreme confidence. The film scored in the way it addressed the stigma related to pregnancy in an advanced age and it showed us how good scripts and fleshed-out roles for every actor matter.

Yours Truly

Soni Razdan in ZEE5’s Yours Truly.(Photo courtesy: Pinterest)

Sanjoy Nag's 2019 film Yours Truly came as a breath of fresh air for Soni Razdan. She played a 57-year-old government employee from Kolkata, who is on the verge of retirement. Days turn into nights, but Mithi Kumar's mundane routine never changes. She wakes up in her old, ancestral home, cooks her own meals and then gets ready for the long and tiring commute to work.

Except, there’s something to look forward to at the railway station. The voice of the announcer. For Mithi, it is more than just a voice. In a life devoid of companionship, the voice carries with it a sense of comfort, support and care. Yours Truly is a film about loneliness, and no one could have played Mithi better than Soni.

Aranyak

Raveena Tandon as Kasturi Dogra in Aranyak.

(Photo Courtesy: YouTube)

There is a lot to say when it comes to the roles of women in Bollywood. Actors like Raveena Tandon disappeared from the industry much faster than their counterparts. It's only recently that discussion around roles of senior women actors is finally taking place. Add to that the popularity of OTT platforms, that have opened up new opportunities for so many artistes.

Raveena recently made her comeback with Netflix's Aranyak. She plays a cop, Kasturi Dogra, posted in the sleepy town of Sironah. Kasturi, who has taken a sabbatical, finds it impossible to hand over her duties to her replacement, Angad Malik (Parambrata Chattopadhyay). The mismatched officers leave no opportunity to get into scuffles, but they join hands when a puzzling murder leads to a web of suspects. Raveena embraces the mannerisms of Kasturi, who is relatively narrow minded and navigates interrogations with a shoot-first-ask-later approach.

Jalsa

Shefali Shah and Vidya Balan in a still from Jalsa.

(Photo Courtesy: YouTube)

Ever since Delhi Crime, there's no stopping Shefali Shah. The actor has spoken at length about how OTT has carved a space for actors to experiment with different genres. Shefali recently collaborated with Vidya Balan for Jalsa, and there's no greater joy than seeing two powerful female actors deliver their best on screen.

The film follows successful journalist Maya (Vidya), who gets embroiled in an unfortunate incident. This sets into motion a series of events that push all the characters to the brink. Shefali plays a cook who works at Maya's house. She has a spellbinding presence as she navigates the different hurdles in her life.