Review: ‘Uunchai,’ starring Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher and Boman Irani

November 20, 2022

by Carla Hay

Anupam Kher, Boman Irani and Amitabh Bachchan in “Uunchai” (Photo courtesy of Yash Raj Films)

“Uunchai”

Directed by Sooraj R. Barjatya

Hindi and Nepalese with subtitles

Culture Representation: Taking place in India and Nepal, the dramatic film “Uunchai” features a cast of predominantly Indian characters (and with some Nepalese people) representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: After their longtime friend unexpectedly dies, three elderly men decide to fulfill their dead friend’s wish to take an adventure trip and hike on Mount Everest, despite people telling them that they’re too old for this type of physical activity. 

Culture Audience: “Uunchai” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s principal stars, but “Uunchai” is filled with cringeworthy stereotypes and takes too long to get to the Mount Everest part of the story.

Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher and Boman Irani in “Uunchai” (Photo courtesy of Yash Raj Films)

“Uunchai” takes a simple and not-very-original concept (elderly people going on an adventure trip) and ruins it with a bloated run time of 173 minutes, very hokey scenarios, and mediocre acting. “Uunchai” (which means “height” in Hindi) is supposed to be about three elderly men who take a trip to Mount Everest in Nepal, as a tribute to their recently deceased friend. It takes the movie about 45 minutes to finally show them starting this road trip. The movie is half over by the time they get to Mount Everest.

Directed by Sooraj R. Barjatya and written by Abhishek Dixit, “Uunchai” is a perfect example of a movie that is overstuffed with filler scenes that are completely unnecessary. And just as irritating is the movie’s unrelenting predictability. “Uunchai” tries to throw in a badly contrived “surprise” toward the end of the film. It’s really no surprise at all, considering that the movie’s central conflict is that these old men want to prove to naysayers that they’re strong enough and healthy enough to go on this Mount Everest trip.

“Uunchai” begins in Delhi, India, at a birthday celebration for a retired man named Bhupen (played by Danny Denzongpa), whose three best friends are at the party. Bhupen is a never-married bachelor who does not have any biological family members who are in his life. His three best friends are his family. All four of the men are in their 60s or 70s.

The other three friends are:

  • Professor/author Amit Srivastava (played by Amitabh Bachchan), who is separated from his wife and has no children.
  • Bookstore owner Om Sharma (played by Anupam Kher), who is a widower with a married son, who manages Om’s store.
  • Boutique owner Javed Siddiqui (played by Boman Irani), who is married and has a married daughter.

Bhupen’s party is a joyous event. Not long after the party, Bhupen tells his three buddies that he wants to fulfill a longtime dream of going with these friends to Mount Everest. He doesn’t want to do anything too dangerous, such as try to climb Mount Everest. Bhupen wants to go to Mount Everest Base Camp, which offers hiking and exploring activities on Mount Everest.

Amit and Javed are politely open to the idea, but Om is the most skeptical and nervous about it. Om quips, “We can barely climb the stairs, let alone a mountain!” However, after the four men have a night of drunken partying at a pub, Om agrees to take the trip.

Not long after they have this discussion, Bhupen suddenly dies of heart attack, alone in his home. His friends are devastated, of course. After the funeral (Bhupen was cremated), Amit is looking through some of Bhupen’s possessions when he finds four tickets that Bhupen bought for the Mount Everest trip. It’s how Amit discovers that Bhupen had been planning to surprise Amit, Om and Javed with these tickets as a gift.

Amit is so emotionally moved, he insists to Om and Javed that they all take the trip as a tribute to Bhupen. They also decide that they will spread Bhupen’s ashes on Mount Everest. The plan is set in motion to take the trip in the near future. They are going to travel to Mount Everest by car. Amit will do the driving.

The friends have two potential obstacles: First, they have to get the approval of their doctors. Second, Javed knows that his very possessive and nagging wife Shabina Siddiqui (played by Needa Gupta), nicknamed Bhabhi, will not let him go on this trip. And so, Javed comes up with a plan to let Shabina go on the road trip with them but to drop her off at the home of their daughter Heeba (played by Sheen Dass), who lives in Gorakhpur, India—about213 kilometers (or 132 miles) southeast of Delhi.

Because it takes so long in the movie for this road trip to actually begin, “Uunchai” has several tedious scenes of Amit, Om and Javed going through physical training and medical checkups to prepare for their Mount Everest adventure. Amit’s doctor advises him not to go on the trip because of the high altitudes of Mount Everest. Amit responds that he’s not changing his plans for the trip: “Doctor, I’m leaving tomorrow.”

During this long and monotonous road trip, “Uunchai” fills up the time with irritating bickering, usually instigated by Shabina, who is miserable being on the road. In addition, Om has some emotional baggage to deal with because he is estranged from his brothers, who live in a rural area and who think that Om abandoned them to become a businessman in Delhi. Om and his brothers have inherited some property, which has caused a family feud that is detailed in the movie.

When the four travelers get to Lucknow, India, they meet a woman in her 60s named Mala Trivedi (played by Sarika), who had a history with Bhupen. Her history is exactly what you think it might be. (It’s all so predictable.) And it’s why Mala ends up going on the road trip too. Mala is also with the men when they go to Mount Everest.

“Uunchai” is so formulaic and so treacly with its obvious attempts to pull at people’s heartstrings, it become a chore to watch this movie because of the way it drags on and on, without any real character development and nothing exciting happening. By the time these travelers get to Mount Everest, you can easily guess that they will have a tour guide who’s skeptical that these senior citizens are capable of keeping up with the rest of the younger people in the group. This cynical tour guide is named Shraddha (played by Parineeti Chopra), and she gets into stereotypical arguments with these elderly men—especially with “alpha male” Amit, who is the most determined of the three pals to prove her wrong.

And speaking of clichés, expect to see a lot of scenes of the old men huffing and puffing, as they run out of breath and struggle to keep up with the rest of the group during their physically demanding activities at Mount Everest. As shown in the trailer for “Uunchai,” Om slips and falls and inveitably gets hurt. And there are more “look at the old people trying to be fearless hikers” spectacle scenes that are too similar to each other and repeated over and over.

“Uunchai” also pours on the schmaltz in eye-rolling ways, such as a scene where the elderly travelers end up playing soccer with some Buddhist monks (who are in their monk clothes) and some of the local Nepalese people. Mostly, the trip consists of generic hiking scenes that show some beautiful scenery but has a lot of uninspired dialogue and a few contrivances. For example, during the trip, Om is distracted when he hears about some warehouse problems that are affecting his business back in Delhi.

Amit, who is a successful and famous author, is supposed to have the most fascinating life out of the three pals, but his life is depicted in a very shallow way in the movie. The only insight to any personal growth that Amit might experience is early on in “Uunchai,” shortly after Bhupen has died, when Amit remembers some constructive criticism that Bhupen gave to Amit. Bhupen told Amit that Amit’s self-help books were starting to sound less like they came from the mind of a writer and more like they came from the mind of a salesman.

Amit’s marital problems, which are barely mentioned in the movie, are then dealt with in a rushed and phony way toward the end of the film. Nafisa Ali Sodhi has a small role in “Uunchai” as Abhilasha Srivastava, Amit’s estranged wife. Amit is supposedly re-evaluating his life after Bhupen’s sudden death, but Amit’s marriage is treated like an afterthought in the overall plot.

“Uunchai” is the type of over-inflated movie where much of the production budget was spent on traveling and hiring the famous actors who headline the film. That money is wasted if the movie just turns out to be stale mush that rehashes similar movies about elderly people who go on a “wish fulfillment/bucket list” trip. The acting isn’t terrible, but it’s terribly generic. For a movie of this annoyingly excessive length, “Uunchai” has very little to say that’s witty, enthralling or truly original.

Yash Raj Films released “Uunchai” in select U.S. cinemas and in India on November 11, 2022.

Review: ‘Prem Geet 3,’ starring Pradeep Khadka and Kristina Gurung

September 27, 2022

by Carla Hay

Kristina Gurung and Pradeep Khadka in “Prem Geet 3” (Photo courtesy of Madhu Entertainment & Media)

“Prem Geet 3”

Directed by Chhetan Gurung and Santosh Sen

Nepali and Hindi with subtitles

Culture Representation: Taking place in the ancient Khazakh Kingdom in the Beyul region of the Himalayan Mountains, the action film “Prem Geet 3” features an all-Nepali cast of characters representing the working-class, middle-class and royalty.

Culture Clash:  A noble young prince, who is set to inherit the Khazakh Kingdom, falls in love with a woman in a romance that both families disapprove of, and he could be disowned, while his jealous younger brother plots to become the next king. 

Culture Audience: “Prem Geet 3” will appeal primarily to people who don’t mind watching very predictable action flicks with no imagination and mediocre-to-bad acting.

Manish Raut and Pradeep Khadka in “Prem Geet 3” (Photo courtesy of Madhu Entertainment & Media)

The action flick “Prem Geet 3” is an overload of dull fairy-tale stereotypes and shallow characters. The movie’s ending is a silly cop-out to keep the possibility open to have more sequels. Any number of modern video games can offer better entertainment than “Prem Geet 3.”

Directed by Chhetan Gurung and Santosh Sen, “Prem Geet 3” is the first movie to be released worldwide simultaneously in Nepali and Hindi. Unfortunately, there’s nothing extraordinary about “Prem Geet 3,” which is just a boring rehash of many other plots in many other action-adventure films, with a love story thrown into the mix. Gurung and Mandip Gautam co-wrote the terrible “Prem Geet 3” screenplay.

The movie is the third in the “Prem Geet” series that features a different romantic story about two lovers named Prem and Geet.” The first “Prem Geet” movie (released in 2016) is a romantic drama. 2017’s “Prem Geet 2″ is a musical romantic comedy/drama.” Unlike the previous two films, which are set in the 21st century, “Prem Geet 3” is set in an unspecified ancient time. Pradeep Khadka has the role of Prem in all three movies, while a different actress has portrayed Geet in each movie.

“Prem Geet 3: has a simplistic plot that audiences have seen many times before: There’s the handsome hero, who’s a prince set to inherit his father’s kingdom. The prince has a jealous younger brother who wants to be the next heir in line for the throne. (They are the only two children of the king.) There’s the forbidden romance that pits two tribes of people against each other. You all know where this is going and how the movie is going to end.

Set in the fictional Khazakh Kingdom in the Beyul region of the Himalayan Mountains, “Prem Geet 3” shows Prem, who is the prince and future king, falling in love at first sight with Geet (played by Kristina Gurung, no relation to filmmaker Chhetan Gurung), who comes from a humbler background than Prem’s royal heritage. Not long after Prem and Geet begin dating (with some sappy musical numbers to chronicle their courtship), Prem finds out that Geet comes from a village that Prem’s Dargah people had invaded and plundered.

Needless to say, Prem’s father (played by Shiva Shrestha) and Geet’s father (played by Sunil Thapa) disapprove of this romance. Prem’s father thinks that Prem should marry a woman of a higher social class. Geet’s father thinks that Prem’s courtship of Geet is some kind of trap to invade their village again.

It turns out that Geet and Prem met each other before, when they were children of about 7 or 8 years old. During this childhood meeting, Geet gave Prem two special gold bangles (which are large and gaudy) that he kept for all of these years. Prem gives the bangles back to Geet as a loving gesture and for another reason explained in the movie.

Prem refuses his father’s demands for Prem to end his relationship with Geet. In fact, Prem makes it clear to everyone that he wants to marry Geet. Does this mean Prem will be disowned?

Meanwhile, Prem’s younger brother Aman (played by Manish Raut) has had a long-simmering jealousy of first-born Prem, because Aman wants to be king. Prem has saved Aman’s life on at least one occasion, as shown in the movie. Prem and Aman were in the woods when Prem thwarted an axe that was thrown by an unknown assassin in attempt to kill one or both brothers.

Just because Prem saved Aman’s life doesn’t meant that Aman will feel forever grateful and loyal to Prem. As soon as Prem and his father become estranged, Aman sees it as an opportunity to become next in line for the throne. It leads to a very predictable “brother versus brother” war.

Everything about “Prem Geet 3” looks like a movie that spent most of its money on production design and costume design and didn’t put enough thought into crafting a good story. The action is formulaic and often stale. The music in “Prem Geet 3” is forgettable. The dialogue is atrocious. The hairstyling (with cheap-looking, fake wigs, especially for the Aman character) is almost laughable. “Prem Geet 3” also has than one “fake death scene,” where someone is presented as dead by a murder that’s shown in the movie, but then surprise! This person isn’t really dead, after all.

The “Prem Geet 3” cast members’ performances range from very bland to downright horrible. And because so much of “Prem Geet 3” has been done so many times already in other movies, there’s no suspense. For an action movie, the pacing actually becomes tedious, especially during the very hokey musical numbers, which look like a parody of Bollywood musical numbers. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how many languages “Prem Geet 3” can be released in simultaneously, because it is still a very uninspired and vapid movie.

Madhu Entertainment & Media released “Prem Geet 3” in select U.S. cinemas on September 23, 2022, the same date that the movie was released worldwide.

Fairfield by Marriott Kathmandu opens; Marriott International’s first hotel in Nepal

June 1, 2017

Fairfield by Marriott Kathmandu
Fairfield by Marriott Kathmandu (Rendering courtesy of /Marriott International, Inc.)

The following is a press release from Marriott International:

Fairfield by Marriott, part of Marriott International has announced the opening of Fairfield by Marriott Kathmandu, which marks Marriott International’s entry into Nepal and further expands the company’s footprint in South Asia.  Fairfield by Marriott is an established leader in the select service segment, with nearly 850 hotels around the world.

“We are very proud to debut in the kingdom of Nepal and introduce the Fairfield by Marriott brand as Marriott International’s first hotel in the country,” says Mike Fulkerson, Vice President, Brand & Marketing Asia Pacific, Marriott International. “As with all Fairfield by Marriott hotels around the world, guests can expect the same high standards of service and seamless experience so they never have to skip a beat.”

Fairfield by Marriott Kathmandu is located in Thamel, a district at the heart of the capital’s central commercial hub, which was previously known as a bohemian haven before it became a popular shopping destination. Close to all the destination’s popular attractions including the Narayanhiti Palace Museum, Garden of Dreams and the Kathmandu Durbar Square, the hotel is also conveniently situated 5km away from the airport.

Fairfield by Marriott Kathmandu (Rendering courtesy of /Marriott International,

Neeraj Govil– Area Vice President, South Asia for Marriott International added: “We believe this is exactly the right product for this market as it fills a much-needed gap in the moderate tier segment with its fresh, contemporary design, service excellence and great value. We are confident this will resonate well with both leisure and business travelers to Kathmandu.”

Fairfield by Marriott Kathmandu (Rendering courtesy of /Marriott International,

The hotel offers 115 smart, straightforward and thoughtfully appointed rooms. Kava, the all-day dining restaurant, serves local, Indian and international cuisine. Meanwhile, Kava – The Bar and lobby lounge is a lively spot offering freshly brewed coffee and an array of cocktails in the evening. The Business Centre meeting rooms are equipped with the latest audio visual facilities and all public areas and guest rooms have high-speed Wi-Fi. The hotel also features The Market, a unique 24/7 convenience store within the hotel, where guests can purchase snacks and beverages at any time of the day.

Sharing his thoughts, Prakash Jayadevan, General Manager, Fairfield by Marriott Kathmandu said, “There is a lot of enthusiasm and excitement as we launch the Fairfield by Marriott brand in Nepal. We aim to set the standards of delivering a great hotel experience at an affordable price point, through consistent and reliable service that comes from being a part of Marriott International.”

Fairfield by Marriott Kathmandu is the latest addition to the brand’s footprint in South Asia, with four hotels in India currently open including Fairfield by Marriott Bengaluru Rajajinagar, Fairfield by Marriott Bengaluru Outer Ring Road, Fairfield by Marriott Lucknow and Fairfield by Marriott Belagavi.

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