Cheeni Kum

R. Balki's 2007 Indian film follows the relationship between Buddhadev Gupta, a sixty-four-year-old chef running a restaurant in London, and Nina, a thirty-four-year-old software engineer. As it develops, Buddhadev learns that Nina's father is six years younger than he is, and the real matter begins there. What is interesting is that the film sets up the age gap as the obstacle and then places the actual conflict between the suitor and the father-in-law; the father played by Paresh Rawal is less an angry figure than a man struggling with the values of his own generation. Amitabh Bachchan's arrogant, irritable chef differs from the authority figures usual in his career. Tabu's performance keeps Nina from being a prize. Who it's for: viewers who like Indian romantic comedy and stories built on an age difference. Who it's not for: anyone who will count the subplot about a sick child as emotional manipulation, or who arrives unprepared for the theme of death entering.