French Biriyani is directed by Pannaga Bharana and written by Avinash Balekkala. The cinematography is by Karthik Palani, music by Vasuki Vaibhav, editing by Deepu S. Kumar. The production design is by Shivakumar, action direction by Jolly Bastin, and costume design by Shachina Heggar. It stars Danish Sait, Sal Yusuf, Rangayana Raghu, Disha Madan, Mahantesh Hiremath, Pitobash, Sampath Kumar, Nagabhushana, and Sindhu Murthy. The story mainly follows Simon, his suitcase, and how he’s mistaken for the carrier of the hallowed items requested by the late Don Charles. The only other relevant sub-plot is Azgar’s involvement in this mess and his efforts to get out of it by getting Simon out of it. The rest is just sh*t.
The funniest moments in the film have to do with language confusion. It’s all slapstick, sure, but hilarious if you understand both languages. Mixing up ‘prawns’ and ‘France’ may not sound like such a great joke on paper, but Sal Yusuf’s bewildered expressions do make one laugh. Danish, as always, is likeable on screen, his comic timing triggering mirth even if the joke is only so-so.
However, French Biriyani starts to get stale when it meanders all around the place, trying to squeeze humour out of every moment. There are two other storylines in the film – one has to do with Asgar’s sister Rahila and her husband Purushottam who has low sperm count, and the other is about don Mani, who must procure the ‘saaman’ that his father had asked him to get on his deathbed.
The film has underlying messages about racism, hypocrisy and how people easily fool a foreigner in India. Yet, they are not in your face. They are subtle and effective. Even the comedy in the film is not about insulting another person. That’s probably the highlight of the film. There is also some interesting wordplay that will make you go wow.
