Just like any other news (read gossip) hungry millennial, I was lazily scrolling through my Twitter feed yesterday when I stumbled across Vivek Anand Oberoi's timeline and his big announcement. He tweeted, "A glimpse of a journey you’ve all been waiting to see unravels today at 3 pm. We all seek your blessings." I was elated. The clock struck 3. All my drafts were saved and I juggled between Twitter and Youtube, refreshing the feed every 30 seconds to get a glimpse of Vivek and Omung Kumar's version of Modi Ji's life.
An hour down the line, except for a few poorly edited fan-made videos, I found nothing. Just like my Acche Din. Or the 15 lakh I was expecting to see in my bank account. I knew I shouldn't have trusted the tweet by someone whose Twitter handle didn't have the 'Chowkidar' prefix. I had to get back to work.
Hours later, somebody alerted me saying that the trailer was out. Earphones were plugged in. YouTube screen was set to HD. The video was played. And let me tell you, those were the best 2 minutes and 35 seconds of my 24-year-long life. Twenty seconds into the trailer, I hear a crowd cheering Dhoni, Dhoni. Wait a second. Am I watching the wrong trailer? Of course not. The crowd was cheering for Modiji. Damn! Kunal Kamra was right. He could only think of a hypothetical situation where Modiji could bat for India. Having watched Kamra's stand-up comedy a couple of days back, this was more like déjà vu. *Goosebumps*
Then comes the adorable little Modiji aka Naru. Naru wears an oversized Nehru Jacket, pardon, Modi Vest with 'Sabki Chai, Modi Chai' written on its back. Holy cow! The sensational 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' was Naru's idea. Naru serves tea to the passengers in a local bus and worships the national flag. Did he serve chai to Nehru and get it thrown on his face? (I'll watch the film twice in PVR and even buy their jumbo popcorn tubs if the filmmaker promises that).
Naru is a grown man now. That's when the travel bug bit him. Here's a lesson for all millennials out there. If your parents are standing between you and your #Wanderlust goals, you tell them, "Mai Sanyasi banna chahta hu," ( I wish to become a monk). If they don't buy it, show them this trailer. Pack your bags, go out, see the most picturesque locations in the country, bid goodbye to formals and resort to comfy desi clothes and once you've seen it all, come back home. Tell your folks that you want to serve the country and then start wearing khaki shorts everywhere. Travel goals, fashion goals, this trailer has it all.
Here's the trailer btw:
Just when Bollywood had almost convinced me that only Punjabis have the right amount of SWAG to ride a Royal Enfield, our boy is back — impeccably impersonating a Sardar. He even says 'Jo bole so nihaal. Sat sri akal'. Now my question is to Jaspreet Singh — Did Jassi like this?
Also, will all the Marvel and DC fans stop fighting for 155 seconds? Your Iron Man has a suit, Captain America has a shield, but our Modiji has a Tricolour flag and a 56-inch chest. By the way filmmakers, Vivek Oberoi's chest measures 43". A whole 13 inches narrower than Modiji's. Talk about lack of attention to detail.
Later, a grown-up Modiji is sad that no one identifies themselves as a 'Hindustani'. At the time of the Godhra riots, there is Modiji in the foreground, with a classic 'Yeh sab kya ho raha hai?' expression saying, "Mera Gujarat jal raha hai." Wait a second. I've seen this somewhere. Was it Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight? More power to Vivek, really.
Modiji says that he won't move till his country is safe, except perhaps when he's travelling all around the world. The film also shows Vivek Oberoi's Modiji as a Sardar, Modiji in the GoT setting, Modiji as Manjhi the Mountain Man and Modiji as Gabbar Singh (listen to the 'Haath kat dunga dialogue'). Now as I'm watching this trailer which is super exciting, funny, inspirational, emotional and action-packed — all at once — I can't help thinking, will I get to see Modiji in the Chowkidar costume as well?
(Views expressed here are the author's own and do not reflect those of the publication)
