URF PROFESSOR (2001)

‘Cult cinema’ is not generally a word so often used for Hindi mainstream cinema and yet there comes films that we love to watch time and again for their exquisite uniqueness never seen or enjoyed before. The films are push forward to other cinebuffs and much after their release they become admirable nuggets for long time. We don’t forget ‘Andaz Apna Apna’, ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro’ or ‘Bheja Fry’ so easily. But at the same time there are certain dark horses comes from B grader cinema like Kanti Shah’s ‘Gunda’. Here comes a film which was made in 2001 but unfortunately not released in theatres till day, it’s one more reason to give it ‘cult’ status. Writer, editor, director Pankaj A. Advani’s low budget ‘Urf Professor’ is without exaggeration the new entry in ‘cult Hindi cinema’; fully loaded with adult fun, black humor and characters hard to avoid.

The first 20 minutes into the film and you'll laugh out loudly like never before. It begins with voyeuristic camera recording of a just married couple’s bed room. On the first night of their wedding, they’re sharing their post marital affairs. After husband's confession of his two post marital affairs now it’s turn for that conservative, shy Indian dulhan to say her something. And as she opens her mouth, it’s blast for your ears to listen the nympho set loose who continues sharing her endless list of sex encounters!!! Pay your eager ears to the language-it’s treat as far as your adult sense of humor can take. The lines are clear inspiration from those cheap desi porn magazine stories.

Cut to that scene and you’ll see introduction of our unusual protagonist. He’s ordinary looking, flab middle aged figure suffering from asthma. He has some typical traits-loves Gujarati thali, frequently visits local public library and issue books on sex, regularly buys a lottery ticket from blind man and keep doing his job of contract killer. His close friend and partner in crime Hudda called him ‘Professor’! Next follows the scene of the movie which is in my opinion the best possible comic sequence ever written, filmed and acted in Hindi cinema with so perfect timing. We see the Professor aiming Mehta’s wife in swimming pool visible from a high rise room's window while meddling with two callers on single line; one is Mehta, masturbating in his toilet who gave him ‘supari’ and the other is the mediator Hudda struggling to handle messy affair between two parties. We don’t see neither Mehta’s wife nor swimming pool and yet those bikini humor made all of you laugh loudest for sure.

The movie takes you to all unimaginable dark humor- contract killer professor obsessed with book titles ‘Sexercises’, mess with winning lottery ticket, theft of Mercedez-Benz with bagful of bucks, a dead body make-up specialist in big trouble with dead body and it’s alive replica, a wannabe bollywood actor ending up as low budget desi porn substitute and many things to follow. Manoj Pahwa will remain in memory as professor and so are some of other fine casting consists of always amazing Yashpal Sharma along with Shrivallabh Vyas, Sharman Joshi, Antara Mali and Devang Patel. Along with director, they too added their fine share of timing and punches of hilarious fun.

Give jolt to your dark sense of humor because for routine hindi cinema comedy this one is truly tearing apart all conventional inhibitions whether it’s constant cuss words, porn mocking moments or murders and death tinged with dark comedy. I’m sure it’ll blow your minds away for full two hours from beginning to the end and after watching it you’ll say ‘Khatam ho gaya #%^#6#*’ Let’s watch it one more time!!!