After being disgusted and shocked out of our wits with a very dark Captivity, we really needed a light, fun movie - and Shyam Benegal's Welcome to Sajjanpur is exactly that. Light hearted, fun and a great way to spend a weekend.
Sajjanpur is a typical village in the new rural India - innocence laced with a dab of modernity, superstitions and illiteracy jostling with PCOs and mobiles, that one motorbike or jeep wading through the herds of cattle and the tring tring of bicycles.
Mahadev (a good-once-again Shreyas Talpade) is one of the few literates in the village. His profession: letter writing, under the shade of a tree beside the post office. From helping the snake charmer find his lost father, to bringing lovers together, Mahadev has a special way with his words and letters - until he meets and falls in love with his primary school sweetheart from two decades back, Kamala (the beautiful Amrita Rao in yet another understated but very commendable role), now married and waiting for her husband who's been working in Mumbai for the last 4 Diwalis. His emotions and feelings start interfering with his profession, his dreams overriding his reason, until one day he finds his true calling.
The strength of the movie is in its simplicity. The humour is good natured and easy, the characters lovable. The village seems an oasis of peace and bountiful existence (especially when compared to the dark cellars of Captivity :)) and will definitely evoke fond memories of that native village you hail from! The characters are interesting, and Ila Arun deserves special mention, along with the amazing Putrurao :) The music too, is simple but beautiful... you won't remember it a few days later, but definitely adds character to the movie!
The only negative for me, were two unnecessary scenes of violence and death... those 2 mins prevent me from recommending this movie strongly as family entertainment! Other than that, I would strongly recommend that you do not miss this one!
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