Vanvaas, which has released today in cinemas, is directed by Anil Sharma of Gadar fame. It is the story of a father abandoned by his children in Banaras. The film belongs to the Baghban zone and is treated like a real mainstream Hindi film. Hence, it has a wide appeal and is meant for all kinds of audiences. The film is peppered with very emotional scenes; the climax is very moving and will form a lump in your throat. On the flipside, the film gives a deja vu of not just Baghban but also Bajrangi Bhaijaan and 3 Idiots. The trailer has shown too much of the film. Before the epic climax, the film gets too dragging and some developments are plain silly. Nana Patekar, as expected, rocks the show with his supreme, touching performance. Utkarsh Sharma is sincere but could have done better in emotional scenes. Simratt Kaur, too, needs to polish her acting skills although her screen presence is arresting. Rajpal Yadav raises laughs while Rajesh Sharma (Gautam Gupta) and Rajiv Gupta (Param Negi) lend able support. Hemantt Kher (Somu), Kettan Singh (Bablu), Paritosh Tripathi (Chutka), Bhakti Rathore (Manjari; Somu's wife), Snehiil Dixit Mehraa (Anchal; Bablu's wife) and Shruti Marathe (Pooja; Chutka's wife) are fine. Ashwini Kalsekar is okay while Manish Wadhwa is great in a cameo. Lastly, Kushboo Sundar leaves a mark in a special appearance. All in all, Vanvaas is the surprise of the year. It is also the modern-day Baghban and here's hoping this genuine effort gets its due, on television, if not in cinemas. However, if possible, do give it a chance in theatres so that many more such mainstream Hindi films, targeting the mass audience, can be attempted.

My rating - *** ½ out of 5!