UK-BASED actor Purab Kohli, who plays the character of a tiresome professor in The Great Shamsuddin Family, has been basking in the praise being heaped on the recently released family drama. Written and directed by Anusha Rizvi, the film premiered on JioHotstar last month and is primed for wider international release this year as its layered and light-hearted take on familial tugs of war continues to make OTT waves.

 

Kohli, known for standout performances in My Brother...Nikhil and Rock On!!, felt instantly drawn to the character of Amitav and has been gratified by the film’s steady word-of-mouth impact. “It's been quite lovely and I'm pretty certain a film like The Great Shamsuddin Family, 20 years from now, people will still be talking about it," said Kohli, during an interview with PTI. “As they do more deals internationally, this will be appreciated and seen by people worldwide on other platforms.

 

So, I think this film has got that long lifespan, which will go on, and people will watch, and I am quite proud to be associated with projects like that,” he said. Set over the span of one day in the Delhi home of Bani Ahmad, portrayed by actor Kritika Kamra, the film captures the chaos that unfolds when troublesome siblings and spirited matriarchs clash.The ostensibly simple storyline tackles a range of profound subjects with a characteristically light touch associated with the Delhi-based filmmaker behind the acclaimed 2010 satire "Peepli Live".

 

“It was one of those scripts that I couldn't put down. I read it at one go and loved it," recalls Kohli, who plays Bani's buddy in the film. “I think Amitav is that annoying friend that everybody has. You love him, but he's annoying, extremely so. But there's also some sort of dependability and support that he offers. I think that makes him quite relatable, in that sense, in a family setup," he reflects. The JioHotstar film packed with very strong female roles, portrayed on screen by the likes of Farida Jalal, Sheeba Chaddha, Juhi Babbar and Shreya Dhanwanthary.