Keshav (Akshay Kumar) and Jaya (Bhumi Pednekar) are from two villages near Mathura, where at least 80% of households are without any access to toilets. Conflict comes knocking on the first day of their marriage, when Jaya leaves Keshav’s house, after discovering that there is no toilet in the home. Distraught and desperate, Keshav sets a mission to win back his love- by battling against the age old traditions, mindset and value system of the country and his village.
Toilet – Ek Prem Katha traces the love story between ‘jugaadbaaz’ Keshav and progressive girl Jaya (Bhumi Pednekar). This movie is a satirical take on a battle against the age old tradition of open defecation in the country. From the panchayat to the sanitation department, from the role of the government to the superstitions of the villagers, from scams to the ethos, from first love to a matured romance, the movie is Keshav’s journey where a common man stands up for a cause and eventually changes the mindsets along the way.
Honest Movie Review – Toilet Ek Prem Katha
While most of us who take the toilets in our homes for granted, 58% Indians are still practicing open defecation. The flush-worthy concept directed by Shree Narayan Singh holds up a mirror to society, showing us how our superstitious villagers, lazy administration and corrupt politicians have actually converted India into the world’s largest shit-pond.
The movie begins when a ‘maanglik’ guy is married to a buffalo to get his stars and moons in the right position. Then, Keshav meets a college topper Jaya and falls for her instantly.
Akshay Kumar’s comic timing is as usual spot on and his jokes with Divyendu Sharma are hilarious in the beginning. This is a film in which Akshay Kumar is not afraid of going out of his comfort zone. He begins in his usual way by cracking jokes with rural nuance. What the mostly likely part about the movie is that the Director knows his milieu and he unfolds the heartland story in an ordinary way where things like open defecation are a part of life.
Keshav’s life seems to be on the right path as he gets married to Jaya, a brilliant student, but Jaya’s life turns upside down when she discovers that Keshav’s house has no toilet. And he can’t build one because of the old age religious beliefs. A lot depends on Keshav’s father, played by an excellent Sudhir Pandey, who refuses to give up his stand to not have a toilet in his home. This prompts Keshav to rebel against the society and everyone in the village for his love for Jaya.
Bhumi Pednekar is a big relief for a Bollywood film, who looks natural in the movie of social awareness as female protagonist. Akshay Kumar is the backbone of this satire. He delivers yet another topnotch performance. The presence of veterans, Pandey and Kher, is unmissable.
You will find the screenplay is peppered with loads of LOL moments balanced correctly with emotional outbursts. As bonus, you will get a hummable soundtrack with Hans Mat Pagli, Bakheda and Gori Tu Lath Maar. However, one thing that can hamper TEPK’s impact is its repetitiveness.