'Made In China' review: Rajkummar Rao's film lives up to its title

At the onset, director Mikhil Musale's 'Made In China' looks intriguing. A Chinese diplomat is found dead in a hotel in Ahmedabad. Initial autopsy claims he died after consuming a magic soup with tiger extracts in it. The maker of the soup, Raghuvir Mehta (Rajkummar Rao) and his associates including sexologist Dr Vardhi(Boman Irani) are summoned by the investigating officers.

The film begins on a promising note, almost hinting at a mystery thriller. But the narrative soon moves to flashback recounting Raghuvir's various failed attempts at becoming an entrepreneur.

Like many households in Gujarat, Raghuvir belongs to a business family where his Uncle (Manoj Joshi) and cousin (Sumeet Vyas) have thriving businesses. Raghu, on the other hand, has been struggling to find his footing. Married to the love of his life Rukmini ( Mouni Roy), all he wants is to make her happy and make his family financially secure.

A chance encounter with an Indian investor (Paresh Rawal) and another dubious businessman in China gives Raghuveer a crackling idea. To sell magic soup in India to those suffering from sexual problems. Pitched as a Chinese aphrodisiac and recommended by Dr Vardhi, the magic soup starts selling like hot cake- benefitting not just Raghuvir but others who are associated with him.

It's an underground business where stakes are low and as Raghuvir and Vardhi grow as a brand, his family gets suspicious about his business- details of which are not known to them.

China and India are known to be the most populated countries in the world. So it surely is a great idea, to combine the two countries in a film that aims to talk about sexual health. While the message is delivered, it isn't the most effective.

Writers Niren Bhatt and Karan Vyas try to merge two very different but common topics. sex and the inhibitions that Indian society has while talking about it and entrepreneurship- an underdog managing to get a breakthrough after the initial struggle. On paper the idea may have seemed a good one- and why not. Selling Chinese aphrodisiac in a conservative town of Gujarat does ensure chuckles. But the film falters at the execution level.

The cast is great. From the ever-dependable Rajkummar Rao to the amazing Boman Irani to even the cameos by Gajraj Rao and Paresh Rawal- the actors fit seamlessly in their respective roles. The two leading men- Rao and Irani- get the local accent well and they never slip from their character. The two have the best lines and scenes and complement each other well- much like their characters.

Paresh Rawal, Sumeet Vyas, and Gajraj Rao have cameo appearances but are delightful in their limited screen time. Wish the writers had fleshed out a bit more on these characters and even on the two women in the film- Mouni Roy and Amyra Dastur.

The film's narrative seems overstretched and the first half appears quite tedious. One doesn't know where the story is headed really. It begins with a mysterious death and interrogation but soon becomes the story of how Raghuveer struck gold with his magic soup and you keep wondering what happened to the case in hand.

The second half is far more engaging with some funny scenes -especially where Vardhi lands up giving sex advice to a room full of parents of school children. But humour is only parts and they are mostly courtesy Irani.

A word on the music of the film by Sachin-Jigar who create peppy fusions of local hits that fits the overall story well.

Much like 'Vicky Donor' and the recent 'Khaandani Shafakhana', 'Made In China' tries to start a discussion on sex. The film tries to break the taboo on sex-but a lacklustre script ruins the overall viewing experience. Despite great performances from the actors, there are not too many high points in the film, there are very few moments that stay with you after the film is over.

'Made In China' ultimately lives up to its title. It promises to be a great film but ultimately falls flat due to too many issues in the script.