Shiv Shastri Balboa

Shiv Shastri Balboa is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language comedy drama film written and directed by Ajayan Venugopalan.^[1] The film stars Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta and Jugal Hansraj in lead roles.^[2] The film was shot mostly in New Jersey, U.S.^[3] The soundtrack and background score were composed by Alokananda Dasgupta.^[4] The cinematography was done by Joshua Ausley and edited by Praveen Prabhakar.^{[citation needed]}

Shiv Shastri Balboa
Directed by	Ajayan Venugopalan
Written by	Ajayan Venugopalan
Produced by	Kishore Varieth
Starring	Anupam Kher Neena Gupta Jugal Hansraj Nargis Fakhri Sharib Hashmi Aarav Desai Anil Joseph
Cinematography	Joshua Ausley
Edited by	Praveen Prabhakar
Music by	Alokananda Dasgupta
Release date	10 February 2023 (2023-02-10)
Running time	126 minutes
Country	India
Language	Hindi

Plot

Shiv Shankar Shastri a retiree, widower from India, and big Rocky movie fan, moves to the USA to be with his only son. He has to shoot a video of himself doing the Rocky Steps in Philadelphia for an impending interview in India, but his son refuses because he is busy. Stuck in a large house alone with a dog, he is forced to befriend him and forms an unlikely bond with an undocumented housekeeper named Elsa. Though they belong to different economic and social strata, these two lonely souls end up on an unexpected road trip through the American heartland, which teaches that it's never too old to reinvent yourself. ^{[citation needed]}

Shiv Shastri Balboa is a comedy that discusses cultural stigma, undocumented immigration, and racism and how a man's passion for cinema can overcome it all.^{[citation needed]}

Cast

• Anupam Kher as Shiv Shankar Shastri
• Neena Gupta as Elsa
• Jugal Hansraj as Rahul
• Sharib Hashmi as Cinnamon Singh
• Nargis Fakhri as Siya
• Aarav Desai as Advaith
• Rajat Sharma as himself
• Anil Joseph as Sanjeev
• Simonas Zmuidzinas as police officer

Reception

Dhaval Roy of The Times of India gave 4 out of 5 ratings^[5] Joyeeta Mitra Suvarna of India TV gave 4 out of 5 ratings,^[6] Urmila Kori of Prabhat Khabar gave 3 out of 5 ratings,^[7] Virendra Mishra of Amar Ujala gave 3 out of 5 ratings,^[8] and Roktim Rajpal of India Today gave 2.5 out of 5 ratings.^[9]

Monika Rawal Kukreja of Hindustan Times wrote "Shiv Shastri Balboa is sweet, innocent and an endearing story about love, life and learnings.",^[10] Rekha Khan of Navbharat Times wrote "Lovers of family and entertainment films can watch this film.",.^[11]

The film has been also reviewed by Jyotsna Rawat of Navodaya Times,^[12] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave 2.5 out of 5 ratings. Shiv Shastri, a middle-aged ex-banker from Bhopal, starts a new life in the US, where his successful doctor son, Hansraj, resides. Inspired by 'Rocky,' Shastriji dreams of replicating iconic steps in Pennsylvania. Loneliness fades as he befriends Elsa-from-Hyderabad, a housekeeper with dreams. Elsa, saving for eight years, seeks Shastriji's help to visit India due to underpayment. Their road-trip faces challenges like theft and racism, yet the film's genuine affection for characters shines through. Kher and Gupta tackle problems with resilience, making empathy easy on their journey.^[13]

Screenings and film festivals

The film premiered in North America at Chicago South Asian film festival and Atlanta Indian Film Festival and received rave reviews.^[14]

Shiv Shastri Balboa was awarded the best feature film (Runner-up) at CSAFF.^[15]

References

1. "Shiv Shastri Balboa". The Times Of India. 21 October 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
2. "Anupam Kher reveals details of his 519th film Shiv Shastri Balboa, will also star Neena Gupta. See posters". hindustantimes.com. 23 July 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
3. "These 15 movies were filmed, produced in N.J. towns last year. See if yours made the list". nj.com. 7 August 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
4. "Kolkata: Daughter pays musical tribute to filmmaker on birth". Times of India. 19 February 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
5. Roy, Dhaval. "Shiv Shastri Balboa Movie Review : This madventure packs quite the punch as a heartwarming and hardcore family entertainer". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
6. Suvarna, Joyeeta Mitra. "Shiv Shastri Balboa Movie Review: How is Anupam Kher and Neena Gupta's film? Rajat Sharma's entry impresses". India TV. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
7. Kori, Urmila (10 February 2023). "Shiv Shastri Balboa Review: जिंदगी और अपने सपनों से उम्र के हर पड़ाव पर प्यार करने की अहम सीख देती है फिल्म". Prabhat Khabar (in Hindi). Retrieved 20 February 2023.
8. Mishra, Virendra. "Shiv Shastri Balboa Review: जिंदगी का रोमांच रिटायरमेंट के बाद भी कैसे कायम रखें, सीखना हो तो देखिए ये फिल्म". Amar Ujala (in Hindi). Retrieved 20 February 2023.
9. Rajpal, Roktim. "Shiv Shastri Balboa Movie Review: Watch this slice-of-life drama for Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta's compelling performances". India Today. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
10. Kukreja, Monika Rawal (9 February 2023). "Shiv Shastri Balboa review: Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta's warm film is a love letter to life". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
11. खान, रेखा (10 February 2023). "शिव शास्त्री बलबोआ में क्या है टिवस्ट?". Navbharat Times (in Hindi). Retrieved 20 February 2023.
12. Rawat, Jyotsna (10 February 2023). "Review: नए जोश और नए जज्बे के साथ जीने की सीख देती है अनुपम और नीना की Shiv Shastri Balboa". Navodaya Times (in Hindi). Retrieved 20 February 2023.
13. "Shiv Shastri Balboa movie review: Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta save predictable film". The Indian Express. 10 February 2023.
14. "Anupam Kher Expresses Joy As His Film Gets Screened At Chicago South Asian Film Festival". {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
15. "CSAFF 2022 winners". csaff.org. Retrieved 26 September 2022.