Cirkus Review: Ranveer Singh & Sanjay Mishra deliver Santa’s Christmas present with Rohit Shetty’s family-entertainer

By Rashita Sahni

on December 22, 2022 10:00:09 AM

Film: Cirkus

Cast: Ranveer Singh, Pooja Hegde, Jacqueline Fernandez, Varun Sharma & Sanjay Mishra

Director: Rohit Shetty

Rating: 3.5 Moons

You know you are in for an entertaining ride if it’s a Rohit Shetty film. Double the fun if the filmmaker gets one of the most versatile actors Ranveer Singh on board. Their third collaboration after Simmba and Sooryavanshi - Cirkus - is no different. It’s fun and all things electrifying. The comedy film has an incredible ensemble cast of Ranveer, Pooja Hegde, Jacqueline Fernandez, Varun Sharma, Johny Lever, Sanjay Mishra, Siddharth Jadhav, Mukesh Tiwari, Vrajesh Hirjee, Ashwini Kalsekar, Murali Sharma, Tiku Talsania, Vijay Patkar, Brijendra Kala, Anil Charanjeett, Uday Tikekar, Abhinay Raj Singh and Sulabha Arya.

Based on William Shakespeare’s play The Comedy of Errors, Cirkus is the story of two sets of identical twins Roy & Roy (Ranveer Singh) and Joy & Joy (Varun Sharma) who arrive on the doorstep of Dr. Roy Jamnadas’s (Murali Sharma) orphanage. He gives them up for adoption to two different families in two different cities only for them to cross paths years later. A comedy of errors ensues when one set of twins decides to visit the city where the other set of twins runs a circus.

The 2 hours 20 minutes long film takes us through brothers Roy & Joy’s lives who are based in Ooty where they run their very own Jubilee Cirkus. Roy has a God-gifted talent of bearing electric shocks like it’s no big deal as he is unaffected by them and hence he is called the ‘Electric Man’. He is happily married to Mala (Pooja Hegde) but his life takes a U-turn when his path is crossed with his estranged twin brother who is also named Roy. The other Roy runs a family business in Bangalore along with the other Joy. When Roy, who is about to get married to his ladylove Bindu (Jacqueline Fernandez), decides to travel to Ooty with Joy for a business deal, the double trouble begins and well, the rest is what we call a classic comedy of errors.

The twists and turns make Cirkus an exhilarating watch. The star casts’ comic timing is flawless. Cirkus tickles the funny bones and how! The only thing lagging is the plot which gets a little too confusing in the second half. But overall, the film is a festive family entertainer.

With Cirkus, Rohit Shetty delivers an important social message as well in the climax. It’s interesting to see how the filmmaker sensitively manages to talk about an important subject while blending it with subtle comedy.

Ranveer is a treat to watch on-screen and well, his double role just adds to the visual experience of Cirkus. He is out there, doing what he enjoys the most - act. His honesty and hard work translate on screen. The pace at which he switches from one Roy to another is commendable. His dialogue delivery and screen presence are praise-worthy. Complementing him are his reel-life lady loves Pooja and Jacqueline. Varun is as good and balances the film on his shoulders along with Ranveer like a pro.

But we have to give it to Sanjay Mishra, who plays Jacqueline’s father. His comic timing, aided with puns in English, is perfect and he makes the audience laugh like never before. Siddharth Jadhav is the next best thing in the film, hands down! Hats off to the entire supporting cast Johny Lever, Mukesh Tiwari, Vrajesh Hirjee, Ashwini Kalsekar, Murali Sharma, Tiku Talsania, Vijay Patkar, Brijendra Kala, Anil Charanjeett, Uday Tikekar, Abhinay Raj Singh and Sulabha Arya for making Cirkus a fulfilling family watch

With Cirkus, Rohit Shetty proves his directorial mettle once again. His direction is A1, apt and precise. Written by Farhad Samji, Sanchit Bedre and Vidhi Ghodgaonkar, Cirkus is a good blend of humour and entertainment. Yunus Sajawal’s screenplay is impressive. Jomon T. John’s cinematography truly takes us back to the '70s. Bunty Nagi’s editing could have been crispier. But well, the music definitely takes the cake. All credit to Devi Sri Prasad, Badshah and Lijo George-DJ Chetas. Deepika Padukone’s cameo as Meenalochani “Meenamma” Azhagusundaram from Chennai Express in the song Current Laga Re steals the show.