This is funny movie for sure. Firstly (The President Is Coming) reminded me of an earlier Egyptian movie named (Zeyaret el-Sayed el-Rais - 1994) or (Visit of Mr. President) ! Both movies got nearly the same main happening but with totally different plots and characters. However the 2 movies meet in many perspectives.Producing an Indian movie as a mockumentary that makes fun of the American president, policy so the American dream's mania, yet in English is an unmistakable message, that shows internationally a different Indian cinema and certain viewpoints as well. Its smartest point was dealing with the whole characters as no body is perfect. That left no room for any partiality, giving a plenty of space to mock but in objective style where all is questionable hence ready to be mocked at.It has many interesting points, on the top of them is the main idea. It's all about who will shake the American president's hand in his first visit to India ?!!! So the competition to select the Indian young man or women that will have the honor of shaking the no great shakes !At some parts I felt how it's a witty parody of reality TV shows, especially The Apprentice and Survivor, where the backstabbing and the shadow conspiracies are on. But you'd feel that the movie relayed on the dialog a bit much than the action, despite how lively the events were. Moreover, maybe against the movie makers' will, the constancy of the place or set gave it a little sense of boredom while I'm positive that the budget wasn't there to hold things out.Another problem, the logic of the movie as basically a documentary was broken. Simply scenes like the one of offering the bribe could be understandable while the deceitful competitors, a la Survivor, know by heart that there is a camera shooting them nonstop. But with other scenes it didn't make any sense at all. For instance, the moment when the arrogant manager steals things from the embassy wasn't believable since she naturally knows that she's on camera !!?? Plus the scene of exposing the plan of the assassination !! How the winner girl dared to declare all of that in front of the running camera ?? Actually when we see the whole room later from another angle we discover that there is no camera shooting at all ?! So, while the whole movie has been filmed by steadicam, the direction failed utterly to divide the moments that were in front of the "documentary's camera" from the ones which weren't (where the characters speak freely or deal frankly). That's a fault confused the viewer, which has been avoided in not too far experiences like (Drop Dead Gorgeous - 1999) in which the whole thing is from the running camera's point of view, where we don't watch the conspiracy or the conspirator, only the results.Minor points : at the end we saw the novelist living her life without any problems ? How is that while she was about to kill the American president and more than one person already knew about it ? Maybe the things were kept secret yet the movie didn't allow us to catch on that appropriately (even by swift hint at the end's boards). Or how they're doing exams, selecting the shaker just one night before the handshake ?! On the other hand, the performance was perfect. This cast made the best indeed. They are all brilliant, having both the charisma and the talent. I've been fascinated in particular by (Konkona Sen Sharma) who played the role of the novelist. And the fact that none of them delivered an overdone acting is something assures partly the quality of this director.Speaking of which, (Kunaal Roy Kapur) made a fine job. I liked the try to create a graceful pace with the camera moves and the clever editing. The very good animated commenting helped that and assured the movie's jovial personality. Suffice it to say that there were some cadres which were singly funny; character says an opinion to the camera while less important opinion is being said in the same cadre yet its sayer is down half-apparent, and so on.There is a nice satiric spirit all over it. This script managed to discharge its writer's anger well. The lines, the gags, even the soundtrack's songs all are intense and bitterly derisive. It's just the sexual tone that was somehow superfluous but not that copious anyway. I liked some obvious remarks yet lovely : the march of "shake the American president's hand, and you'll go to promise land", line like "inside every thief there is a good man" and where it was said !, or the Indian way of dealing with things "by the American way" which isn't "democracy" it's "reality TV" !! Let alone the wicked using of "he got the whole world in his hand" while seeing George W. Bush for the first time ! And last but not the least the quote of Gordon Gekko from Oliver Stone's Wall Street "Greed is good" as the best line will be said while shaking the American president.. Excellent !I loved the dramatic change, or rather disclosure, of the inordinately Americanized guy. The moment of him finally expressing his long curbed emotions towards America during his facing with Bush's statue was outstanding and the highest moment of this movie despite that I didn't admire its monologue.It's simple, clear, and compared to the general production of the Indian cinema lately—refreshing and most of all : original ! I hope my voice reaches this movie's makers while saying: Keep on the good work, WE NEED MORE!

I trembled while resisting the worst possible rating for this film but in all fairness I've seen worse. At least the promos were creatively misleading and since it's important to actually sit through the ENTIRE film before laying claim to a comprehensive review, I admit I threw up and walked out on this one within the first hour. Let's take it up one by one:The Acting: is at best shoddy and reminiscent of a self-congratulatory, Mumbai-based English-theatre performance. For those who don't know what this means, it's the equivalent of Timothy Dalton playing Bond or Arnie playing a mother. (Maybe I'm cribbing because I've seen some of these performers botch a perfectly good script on the Mumbai stage as well). The characters are so cocooned in caricaturisation that they you can't connect with them any more than you would with Puff-the-magic-dragon.The Direction: is amateur and unimaginative. Sorry KRK but the reality- TV style is losing its sheen unless you bring something to it. Those forced silences and awkward moments just don't work if you're not going to bring an element of the panopticon to it.The Production: Cut, cut, cut. I read someone say this film is slick but in my opinion you could trip on the gaps between cuts. I could hear myself grind my teeth between bad performances because for some reason the producer wanted me to notice they were BAD.It pains me to write this because I actually knew KRK back in college and loved his stage performances and steady supply of off-stage wit but I'm thoroughly disappointed at the hack job that's been put together with "The President is Coming". Let this be a lesson to all foreign dignitaries to steer clear of this country just so we don't have to be subjected to another one of these abominations.

I saw this film in New York City for the South Asian Festival. How wonderful to see the first of it's kind and an Indian mockumentary. The film was good fun - the audience loved it and laughed the whole way through. The actors were all very strong - and the script was fast paced and very theatrical. Always a pleasure to watch Konkona Sen Sharma strutting her stuff. Anand Tiwari is absolutely hysterical - he's one to watch out for.The cast work very well together as a whole - and the animated sequences are a real treat - that make you think that you are watching some sort of reality TV show - that people get voted out of. I think this film will do very well in India and abroad!!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed The President is Coming. It is funny and witty, although not necessarily in that order. There are memorable punch lines thrown in which makes you wonder why there isn't more of this humor since India and Indians lend themselves so well to a lot of this tongue in cheek stuff. The script astutely mines the foibles of the middle class in their race for recognition and redemption on a global scale. "If you were a stock, madam, I would buy you" is an instant classic. There is much more of these humdingers. If you like Wes Anderson and Christopher Guest, you'll be sure to like this one.