Star Cast: Sanjay Mishra, Vijay Raaz, Amol Parashar, Barkha Singh, Flora Saini Director: Ram Ramesh Sharma Available On: ZEE5 Duration: 107 minutes Language: Hindi
36 Farmhouse, directed by Ram Ramesh Sharma, is a comedy-drama set against the backdrop of the 2020 lockdown. The story starts with a murder to determine who owns 36 farmhouses and 300 acres of land. Padmini Raj Singh, who owns the land, has given everything to her eldest son Raunak Singh, played by Vijay Raaz. Raunak is also Padmini’s son, who looks after her and keeps her away from the outer world so she doesn’t alter her mind.
Both father and son arrive at the lavish home with hidden goals, but the property is already in chaos. The novel also includes other subplots that are frequently dropped, such as an ill-advised murder inquiry and the mention of three kids battling over inheritances, which effectively consists of two sons and one daughter-in-law. Barkha Singh plays one of the primary characters in the film, although she ends up being little more than a writer’s pawn with no actual value to the plot.
While Sanjay Mishra and Amol Parashar’s characters provide unusual comic timing to the picture, the words are mostly unfunny. The screenplay tries to go further into various subjects, like the pandemic, unemployment, and how the lockdown affected the rich and poor differently, the class structure, and women empowerment, but none of them get the screen time they need.
Overall, 36 Farmhouse tries to be a narrative comedy-drama about social inequality and the reality check that lockdown brought to the public’s attention, but it ends up being a film with no true concept, structure, or message to convey.