Pankaj Advani writes and directs an energetically amusing comedy about two con-artists, a film director, a kingpin, his driver, a religious guru and a builder among many more colourful characters. The only Indian comedy that I liked of 2009 is 'The President Is Coming'. Then after lacklustre films like 'Billu', 'Sankat City' felt fresh. The film moves at a very steady pace keeping the viewer hooked from start to finish. There is not one boring moment and plenty to laugh about. The story could have used more development but the comedy factor compensates for this flaw. The cast is very good. Kay Kay Menon excels in an out-and-out comedic role. This actor has shown that he is capable of playing any character. Rimi Sen is a big surprise. I have never been impressed by her acting in the past but here she is spot on and looks great too. Yashpal Sharma too springs a surprise in a non-villainous role while Anupam Kher is back in villain mode but this time with a touch of comedy. There are also numerous interesting references to other films which have been cleverly used in the dialogues written by Advani. 'Sankat City' is full throttle entertainment.

Although you might not have heard about it at all, Sankat city is a delightful surprise. First time director Pankaj Advani delivers a very enjoyable two hours – on what must have been a very tight budget. The cost cutting is visible in the opening scenes, where the Chunkey Pandey scenes look quite … handycam-ish. But the distraction is not for long and you soon adjust to the cinematography. The opening credits of the movie themselves look very 70s-ish, a-la Johnny Gaddar.In a movie such as this, its is best not to talk about the story-line. Lets talk about the nuts instead.Faujdar bhai – Bhai-cum-money lender. Devoted follower of Swamiji. Uses a pair of dice to decide how many days to grant to a defaulting borrower and has a hit-man named Lovely.Swamiji – Compulsive carnivore without too much spirituality and a liking of hot tub bathsGogi – Film director who is ready to hang up his boots and open a film studio out of the city. And to make his last film a hit, he wants to kill off his flop hero on the movie sets itself.Lingam – Gogi's assistant director. Devoted to his boss, but has only one wish – Aishwarya Rai must come for the studio opening, minus AbhishekPaschisia – Builder. Owes Faujdar bhai 2 crores and is about to default. Loves popcorn and the ladies, but stomach is a problemGuru – Small time car thief. Along with his senile chacha Ganpat, runs a well oiled carjacking business.Mona – street-smart con artist who doesn't mind using her feminine charms to lure the likes of Paschisia. But cant stop spouting BengaliPhilip Phattu – Faujdar's driver and Mona's erstwhile partner-in-crime. Apropos to his name, doesn't have any cojones at all. Dreams of marrying a prostituteSuleiman Supari – hit-man without any scruples, with a liking of shiny gold shirt buttonsIf some of the characters appear familiar to you, it is because such madcap gangster movies have recently started appearing with regularity. The closest I can come to describing Sankat City is as a sort of mixture of 99 and Ek Chalis Ki Last Local. While the story appears madcap, the entire flow is very seamless and the situations are genuinely laugh out loud. And the entire madness resolves neatly at the end.Performance is top notch all across – Chunkey Pandey is probably the only weak link, but he hardly has a role. Biggest surprise was Rimi Sen – her acting was much better than I remember. Kay Kay Menon plays a lighter role with aplomb and Lingam, Ganpat etc are a hoot.

In a week, where the big banner has failed to deliver, here comes an entertainer in a small package. "Sankat City", directed by Pankaj Advani, is a comedy cum thriller, capable of impressing both the critiques and the viewers who are in search of something out of the routine. It's a roller coaster ride with enjoyable sequences and well written scenes along with splendid performances by the entire star-cast.The movie takes off slowly, creating the required ambiance for its characters to establish themselves. And after 15 initial minutes, it drags you in and starts entertaining with its superb enthralling narration. The story moves around a few amusing characters who all have to pay back huge amount of money to a big Gangster of the town. Now how they all manage to arrange that money, which keeps changing hands every five minutes, is the small gist of the movie.The first half moves on an electrifying pace as compared to the later. The second half has only few minutes of dragging and predictable scenes but then it also picks up the pace, progressing towards an engrossing and surprising climax. Sequences related to various characters are interconnected superbly, backed by some great skillful writing. The star-case ensemble has everyone giving a worth watching performance in their own respective roles. The most entertaining one comes from Dilip Prabhawalkar, as the old man who is a master in re-painting the stolen cars. Kay Kay Menon as the car thief impresses once again with his effortless act. Anupam Kher bounces back with his famous comic timing as the big Gangster. Rimi Sen looks cool and convincing playing the con woman. Chunky Pandey (the actor), Manoj Pahwa (the producer), Yashpal Sharma (the businessman), Rahul Dev (the contract killer) and Virendera Saxena (the imposter Godman), all leave a good impact in their brief roles.Musically, it has only a few songs, used briefly along with the moving storyline. So, they don't act as an obstacle in the high paced drama. Cinematography is simply basic, with no special gimmick or lighting used to enhance the scenes. But even then, the director keeps you glued to your seats with his interesting and unexpected twists and turns in the story. The intelligent remarks on fake religious figures and sexual fantasies are a treat to watch in this black comedy. Though it also has some major flaws in the storyline but the fast proceedings on the screen don't give you the moment to think about them.In short, if you love the genre of thrillers without heavy action, relying more on conspiracies, plans and last minute upsets, then "Sankat City" will not disappoint you, if given a chance. It's a brilliant take on conmen, media world and gangsters on the similar lines of "Ek Chalis Ki Last Local". A must watch as the small surprise package of the season.

This movie is entertaining.It kept me rooted the entire time. Anupam Kher was funny and did justice to his role. Kay Kay Menon has kept everyone entertained with his comic timing. Rimi Sen was a surprise package as in this the only movie I felt,she acted well. Veerandra Saxena had a short role but he did a great job as a Guruji. Hemant Pandey as Philip Fattu was funny. Manoj Pahwa, Chunky Pandey, Rahul Dev, Sanjay Mishra, Yashpal Sharma had short roles...could have been longer, but they were all great inn their parts. Noted actor Nikhil Ratnaparkhi was hilarious as the uncle. The plot is simple straightforward yet entertaining. Overall, the movie was really good....definitely worth a watch..