Malamaal Weekly

Drought has run for years in the village of Laholi and most of the villagers' possessions are mortgaged to the local moneylender. The only entertainment left is the lottery. One day the ticket seller Lilaram learns that the big prize has gone to someone in the village. When he finds the winner the man is dead, of shock. Lilaram makes a plan to take the money for himself. But the neighbours notice, and the plan grows until it takes in the whole village. Priyadarshan's film carries the same structure as the 1998 Irish production Waking Ned Devine: a remote village, a winner dead of shock, a conspiracy that grows to include everyone, and a single person trying to expose it. The narrative makes a joke of poverty but does not present the villagers as fools. Paresh Rawal plays Lilaram, with Om Puri and Rajpal Yadav among the villagers. The film succeeded at the Indian box office and was remade in three other languages. Who it's for: Viewers who like Hindi farce, village comedy, and Priyadarshan's films. Who it's not for: The humour is crude and it runs long. The writing of the women is also weak.