Cast: Anubhav Anand, Nandana Dev Sen, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani

Director: Ajmal Zaheer Ahmad

This is an NRI ‘Meet The Parents’: a Gujju Patel vs a Punjabi Bhalla, doing the in-laws thing in America. Bhallji aka Anupam Kher calls a motel a potel. Ha ha. Patel, played by Boman Irani, stays stone-faced, and throws tantrums— look at that Bhalla, always drinking and dancing. We are classy and they are crude. Ho ho.

That’s the simplistic assumption that divides ‘Perfect Mismatch’ into perfect halves: pre-interval, Aman (Anubhav) behaves like a complete me-oriented Yank. All he can think of is getting the job he’s always wanted, and leaving his family (uncle Anupam, aunty and cousin) and hoofing off to New York.

He also ignores his girl-friend Neha (Nandana), daughter of the aforementioned Patel, who dearly wants the families to get along. In the second half, his Indian values come to the fore. Which basically translates into Aman ‘puttar’ making a stab at joining the despised family garments business, and matching ‘bhangra’ steps with his clan.

‘Perfect Mismatch’ is like a lot of the other NRI sagas that focus on Gujju snakes and Punjabi paranthas, and bickering fathers and confused lovers. Not much new here, just a moment here and there, most of which belong to Anupam Kher: getting his overworked, overlooked wife to sit by him for a moment, is one. Nice. Not so is Boman, who scowls his way through the film.

Rating: *

(shubhra.gupta@expressindia.com)