STORY: When a letter, which is meant for the girl that Avinash is in love with, ends up with the girl’s mother, a comedy of errors ensues.

Made in 2015 ‘Shimla Mirchi’ was delayed by a good five years as there were no takers for this romedy. Directed by the veteran filmmaker Ramesh Sippy, this movie is his first on-screen outing in 25 years. There are only a handful of chuckle-worthy scenes that make an appearance only in the second half. The first half is just a very long and dull build-up to a predictable climax.

Rajkummar Rao nails his character as a man punch drunk in love. Rakul, as the feisty small-town girl, too, plays her role to perfection. Hema Malini provides some comic relief, but that’s clearly unintentional. You end up laughing in scenes that are not meant to be funny. Shakti Kapoor cracking jokes in Chinese adds nothing of any real value to the plot.