Made In China Review: Rajkummar Rao, Bomani Irani And Tons Of Cheeky Humor Is The Perfect Recipe For This Magic Soup

When a film starts with telling people the meaning of the word aphrodisiac you know at the very least this one is going to disarm you. Made in China, however, does a lot more.

The story of the film is fairly simple. A Chinese general dies after consuming 'performance-enhancing magic soup' during his visit to India and authorities track down Raghuveer Mehta, an Amdavadi businessman who supposedly mixes Tiger's penis in the soup and sells them to men who need some help in the same department. The film then tells you the story of this middle-aged man from Ahmedabad, who despite failing in 13 odd businesses that include selling eggs of Emu to Nepali carpets does not want to give up.

He is totally smitten by his absolutely gorgeous wife Rukmani and hopes to give her a better life and be in a place where he does not have to take the school fees of his son from his uncle and cousin, established businessmen who leave no opportunity to show him his place.

A chance occurrence takes Raghu to China where he meets Hao Li who convinces him to sell this 'performance-enhancing soup', because as Hao Li puts it, 'Indians are always thinking about sex'. While in China, Raghu also meets IIM Ahmedabad product Tanmay Shah who teaches him some valuable lessons of business and the biggest mantra of it all, 'customer ch****a hai'.

Upon coming back to Ahmedabad, Raghu realizes that he needs a trusted voice that people will listen to and after visiting quacks and thugs, he finally meets Dr.Wardhi, an old and passionate sexologist who cares about nothing but his pet goat Prabha and spreading awareness about sexual education. With Dr. Wardhi's passion for sexual awareness and Raghu's entrepreneurial drive, they build some sort of an empire out of this Chinese cure to an extent that at one point Raghu, talking about his delivery network says that it was for the first time that milkmen and illegal liquor suppliers where delivering the same thing. However, all of it comes crashing down due to the death of the Chinese general after consuming Raghu's 'Magic Soup' and two CBI officers start interrogating Dr. Wardhi and Raghu about illegal body parts of Tiger, smuggled from China being used in their soup.

It's not a fantastic story that one has not heard before and the intent of the film which talks about people having a more open attitude towards sexual wellness isn't absolutely novel either, but the film works due to razor-sharp writing and screenplay, amazingly balanced cheeky humor and solid performances.

Debutante director Mikhil Musale is completely aware that he is talking to the middle-class audiences about sex and 'performance enhancement' and never goes overboard and crass or way too safe with his approach. The euphemisms and metaphors used for talking about sexual matters are not only very real and hilarious but also subtly shows how we would think of crazy and creative ways to avoid using the word sex. He keeps the mood of the film mostly light which seems to be his forte as it feels he tries to rush the more difficult, intense and emotional scenes. Although you see the twist, in the end, coming from a distance and the climax seems rather expected, you don't mind cause the film to hold your attention and entertains.

The biggest credit for this is reserved for the actors who make this film extremely watchable. Rajkummar Rao as the middle-aged Amdavadi businessman brings his A-game. With slight pot-belly, an adorable disposition and quick wit that he is unaware of, he perfectly plays the extraordinary common man act that Bollywood seems to have mastered. He is ably supported by Boman Irani playing Dr. Wardhi whose part-eccentric, part-passionate personality is not novel but a delight to watch on screen. His mission to spread sexual awareness and irritation with the hypocritic world that stops the normalization of the word sex rings real.

Mouni Roy playing Rukmani, Raghu's gorgeous wife also plays her well. If not anything else, it is an endearing husband-wife relationship where they share not only their lives while sneakily sharing cigarettes and alcohol but he can also ask her if she is sexually satisfied with him.

Other characters including Paresh Rawal as Tanmay Shah, Manoj Joshi , and Sumeet Vyas as Raghu's rich uncle and cousin, Gajraj Rao as a mercurial business motivational speaker, Abhishek Banerji as the CBI officer all do their jobs perfectly and make this soup so much more balanced and tastier. Kudos to director Mikhil Musale for knowing how much to use which actor and not getting carried away and letting supremely talented actors like Paresh Rawal and Gajraj Rao do more than what was necessary for the story.

The writing of the film is tricky but is executed quite brilliantly. The jokes can only be described as 'vivaciously audacious' and just the right amout of cheeky. A personal favorite would be an anchor on a TV show saying 'Khade masale ko hilate rahiye jab tak us mai se tel na nikle' as Raghu prepares his 'performance enhancement magic soup' concoction in the kitchen of his blind neighbor, and that is not even the tip of the iceberg. The film is a gold mine for people who are suckers for jokes with double entendre.

The film also evidently and sometimes not so evidently gives a lot of throwbacks. First, the film has been produced by Dinesh Vijan who also produced Stree and seeing Rajkummar and Abhishek Banerji on-screen was bound to give a throwback. The film gives a small nod to that every time Raghu's phone rings and 'Aao Kabhi Haveli Pe' from Stree plays as his ringtone.

There is another scene that might remind you of 3 Idiot and the famous scene where Chatur gives the epic speech. While in 3 Idiots Boman Irani as Veeru Sahastrabudhe sat in the audience as Chatur gave a hilariously inappropriate speech, here Dr. Wardhi gets on stage and talks about sex and sexual problems to a group of parents who think that the seminar is about asking the doctor about their children's health and wellness.

However, the most strong throwback is that of Vicky Donor and we are not sure if it was intentional or not. The chemistry and friendship between Raghu and Dr. Wardhi is very reminiscent of Dr. Chaddha and Vicky. There Dr.Chaddha was a senior doctor fed up of people misunderstanding his occupation, here Dr. Wardhi is frustrated by the hypocritic approach of our country towards sex. There, modern and educated Ashima leaves Vicky after discovering he is a sperm donor, here Rukmani who is supposed to be this modern girl from Mumbai who smokes and drinks with his husband and even brings the Magic Soup for her husband and asks him if he knows of about 50 Shades of Grey, leaves Raghu when she discovers that he is actually the one manufacturing and selling it. I can go on, but you get the drift.

While a tight-knitted film is most aspects, the film is surely not flawless. The conflict and resolution seem hurried in many places and pace is a little too fast almost throughout. While the screenplay and writing are sharp, the editing could have used some help, especially in terms of songs. Also, the film at several points threatens to become a murder mystery but somehow that angle is left completely unexplored as does the angle of illegal smuggling of animal products from China. However, watchable performances and witty euphemisms for sex keep the boat sailing, quite smoothly.

A film about a man becoming an entrepreneur selling 'performance-enhancing soup' might not traditionally be the option to watch on Diwali with your family, but that is exactly the mindset that the film tries to challenge in the wittiest way. For that alone, it deserves a watch and if that does not cut it for you then go and watch it just to replenish your stock of double meaning and real AF jokes, it would be worth it.