Sharmaji Namkeen

Brij Gopal Sharma a.k.a Sharmaji, a middle-class widower, is given retirement by his company Madhuban Home Appliances at the age of 58, much to his annoyance. A healthy and lively man, he lives with his sons Sandeep Sharma (Rinku) and Vincy Sharma at his rather small home in West Delhi. Rinku is in a relationship with his colleague Urmi, and the two of them plan on buying a flat in Gurgaon after they get married. Vincy is a final year BCom. student who is passionate about dance. Sharmaji is averse the idea of shifting away from his home, hence Rinku hides the fact that he is finalizing his apartment deal.

In order to overcome boredom, Sharmaji decides to venture into other jobs. After looking into Zumba classes, property brokerage, and various other small jobs, at the suggestion of his childhood friend, he decides to cook for kitty parties. There, he befriends Veena Manchanda, a boutique owner whose husband died in a car crash three years ago. He is warmly welcomed by the members of the kitty and soon caters to many occasions. At one such party, he meets Veena's dear friend Robbie, a politician, and he cooks for a religious meet at the latter's place.

On his birthday, Rinku invites their extended family over, and someone comes across a video of Sharmaji dancing at a kitty party. Rinku and Vincy are humiliated and furious at this and a fight ensues between the three of them, wherein Vincy reveals that Rinku is moving out and Rinku blurts out that Vincy flunked his tests. Sharmaji is distraught at this but nevertheless, continues to follow his passion.

Veena and Sharmaji bond over the parties, and soon become close friends. One day, they overhear Rinku fighting with the flat builder. He lies to them that all is well. That night, they meet Urmi's parents, where Sharmaji finds out that Urmi's dad knows more about the flat than he does. On the way back, he confronts Rinku, who confesses that the builder is delaying the possession of the flat and that he paid 15 Lakhs as the token. Sharmaji is devastated to learn that his son spent so much money without even informing him, and decides to stop his catering hobby to focus more on things at home.

Rinku is informed that the builder has constructed the flats on illegal grounds, and is advised to get his token money back. When the builder refuses to contact him, he attacks the security guards at the building and is arrested. Sharmaji is at a final kitty when he gets the call from the station. He rushes with the gang, and a comical turn of events ensues. He is put behind bars along with his son, while the ladies are made to sit in a corner. Unbeknownst to the constable, Sharmaji has a phone inside the cell. Veena signals him to call Robbie who uses his power as the Mayor to release them.

Rinku realises his mistake and apologises to his father for not being a good son. Sharmaji accepts his apology, and they all go back home.

• Rishi Kapoor as Brij Gopal Sharma aka Sharmaji Namkeen
  • Paresh Rawal as Brij Gopal Sharma aka Sharmaji Namkeen[5][6]
• Juhi Chawla as Veena Manchanda
• Suhail Nayyar as Sandeep Sharma aka Rinku, Sharmaji's elder son
• Isha Talwar as Urmi Kaul
• Satish Kaushik as Chadda, Sharmaji's friend
• Sulagna Panigrahi as Aarti Bhatia
• Sheeba Chaddha as Manju Gulati
• Ayesha Raza as Rupali Dhingra
• Parmeet Sethi as Mayor Robbie Sabharwal, Veena's Brother in law
• Gufi Paintal as Rajender Sharma
• Taaruk Raina as Vincy Sharma, Sandeep's brother
• Shishir Sharma as Mr.Kaul, Urmi's father
• Ranbir Kapoor as himself in a pre-film message

The film's music is composed by Sneha Khanwalkar while lyrics written by Gopal Datt.[7]

The film received generally positive reviews from critics and audience with praise for its performances and direction.

Renuka Vyavahare of The Times Of India gave the film a rating of 4/5.[8] Sukanya Verna of Rediff gave the film a rating of 4/5 and wrote "Sharmaji Namkeen is Rishi Kapoor's swansong and show. His cinematic memories are coloured in liveliest hues of celebration and happiness".[9]

Bhavna Agarwal of Bollywood Bubble gave the film a rating of 4/5 and wrote "Late Rishi Kapoor and Paresh Rawal serve you a savoury and sweet story which tugs at your heartstrings. A must-watch for those who enjoy simple storytelling."[10]

Simran Singh of Dna India gave the film a rating of 3.5/5 and wrote "Sharmaji Namkeen is a perfect ode to Rishi Kapoor, and this feel-good cinema is a fun-filled, emotional rollercoaster ride for the family".[11] Shubham Kulkarni of Koimoi gave the film a rating of 3.5/5 and wrote "It marks the end of an era of Indian cinema and maybe the beginning of many good things".[12] Prateek Sur of Outlook India gave the film a rating of 3.5/5 and wrote "Actor Rishi Kapoor’s last film is a sweet and simple tale about parents after their retirement".[13] Pratikshya Mishra of The Quint gave the film a rating of 3.5/5 and stated "'Sharmaji Namkeen' is a fitting send off to Rishi Kapoor's skill and stature".[14] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave the film a rating of 3/5 and wrote "In what is obviously an unusual experiment, Paresh Rawal steps into the breach in several key scenes, including the crucial climactic ones".[15] Sanjana Jadhav of Pinkvilla gave the film a rating of 3/5 and wrote "Sharmaji Namkeen is strictly a few laughs with its heart in the right place".[16] Anna MM Vetticad of Firstpost gave the film a rating of 3/5 and wrote "The single-role-divided-between-two-actors experiment is perfectly sewed by the naturalism in Hitesh Bhatia’s storytelling, and the decision not to overtly manipulate our emotions either".[17] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the film a rating of 3/5 and wrote "Despite its shortcomings, SHARMAJI NAMKEEN is a heartwarming film and will leave viewers smiling".[18]

Shubhra Gupta of Indian Express gave the film a rating of 2.5/5 and wrote "Rishi Kapoor is truly namkeen in this film, showing us how it is done, light on his feet, light in his eyes, a will to live. Jeena isi ka naam hai".[19] Tushar Joshi of India Today stated "The story of Sharmaji Namkeen, Rishi Kapoor's last film, is not new but is a reminder that we've lost a terrific actor".[20] Monika Rawal Kukreja of Hindustan Times stated "Rishi Kapoor and Paresh Rawal seamlessly share the story of an endearing retiree".[21]

• Sharmaji Namkeen at IMDb
• Sharmaji Namkeen at Bollywood Hungama