Film: The President Is Coming

Banner: Ramesh Sippy Entertainment

Producer: Rohan Sippy

Director: Kunnal Roy Kapur

Cast: Konkona Sen Sharma, Namit Das, Shernaz Patel, Vivek Gomber, Anand Tiwari, Shivani Tanksale, Satchit Puranik, Ira Dubey

Rating: 3.5/5

It simply hurts watching this film and that is a fantastic thing. Laughing hysterically is what this film will have you do. Based on the 2006 visit of the US president George Bush to India; the film highlights the meeting of the US president with one young Indian responsible for shaping 'New India'. Taking off from there the film amplifies this event and weaves an out and out comedy feature that is worth watching.

The action begins with the hiring of the PR agency that is responsible to find that one enterprising Indian to meet the president. With scores of candidates, six top Indian achievers under 30 are chosen and put to the test. Spearheading the whole bizarre test is Samantha (Shernaz Patel) and her assistant Ritu (Shivani Tanksale). The two put the six contestants through arduous and inane tasks in order to determine the ideal candidate. But then the chosen six, come with different pasts; slowly revealed through the challenges. While some are innocent, a few are just not what they seem.

One of the toughest genres of films to make is indeed comedy. The President Is Coming is a fine example of situations that when treated right turn intensely funny. The finesse in the dialogues that seem so colloquial and natural yet stuffed with laughter is praiseworthy. This is supported by well crafted characters that have a background to them is another aspect that is noteworthy. Small things like the use of abusive words and actions add volumes to the character and the film; the director and writer seem to have splendid knowledge of. The thing is while in most other films it might seem forced, but simply because of the characters created and the situation, all...