Jio Studios, Merry Go Round Studios and Mumbai Talkeez Production’s Kaushaljis Vs Kaushal is the story of a dysfunctional family. Kaushalji (Ashutosh Rana) is an accountant in Kannauj. He likes to sing qawwalis. His wife (Sheeba Chaddha) is a housewife who is passionate about making perfumes. They have two children — a son (Pavail Gulati) and a daughter (Deeksha Joshi). Seeing their parents quarrel everyday, the son one day advises them to divorce each other so that they can spend the rest of their lives peacefully. Meanwhile, the son’s girlfriend (Isha Talwar) wants to marry a boy who belongs to a happy family. For her sake, the parents pretend be very close to each other when she comes to spend some days with the Kaushal family. The girlfriend appreciates the close ties of the family members. What happens thereafter?
Seema Desai has penned a story which is quite nice but it doesn’t really impress completely. Her screenplay is good in parts only. The first around 20 minutes are quite boring. The pace picks up thereafter. There are some poignant moments in the drama, but it does not leave the viewers asking for more. Solid emotions are lacking. Siddharth Goel and Seema Desai’s dialogues are appealing at times.
Ashutosh Rana is excellent as Kaushalji. Sheeba Chaddha shines in the role of the housewife. Pavail Gulati does a remarkably natural job as the son. Isha Talwar looks pretty and acts in a natural style. Deeksha Joshi makes her mark in a brief role as the daughter. Brijendra Kala lends decent support. Grusha Kapoor has her moments.
Seema Desai’s direction is sensitive. Vikram Montrose’s music is so-so. Song picturisations (choreographed by Seema Desai and Prathamesh Dabir) are ordinary. Saurabh Bhalerao’s background music is fair. Prasad Bhende’s cinematography is nice. Sunil Rodrigues’ action and stunt scenes are alright. Sumitraj Mishra’s production designing is proper. Mayur Hardas’ editing is a bit loose, especially in the pre-interval portion.
On the whole, Kaushaljis Vs Kaushal is an average family entertainer for the OTT circuit. But had it released in the cinemas, it would not have stood much of a chance.
Released on 21-2-’25 on JioHotstar.