After several treasure hunt adventures with Sonada, Abir and Jhinuk, director Dhrubo Banerjee has turned to comedy and delivered a delightful watch with dollops of ’80 nostalgia.

Bogla Mama Jug Jug Jio, starring the seasoned comedic actor Kharaj Mukherjee in the lead role of Boglacharan Bhattacharya, is an adaptation of Rajkumar Moitra’s eponymous novella and the second film after Srijit Mukherji’s Dawshom Awbotaar to be co-produced by SVF and Jio Studios.

The fun is centred around a theatrical showdown that the bumbling but lovable middle-aged guy Boglacharan has unwittingly drawn himself into. Bogla takes up a contract to stage a theatrical play for rich businessman Felu Acharya (Rajatava Dutta), who wants to earn respect and the social status of a ‘cultured’ person in the suburban neighbourhood where the story unfolds.

The challenge for Bogla is not only to put up a scintillating theatrical production but also defeat the local school headmaster (Sandip Bhattacharya) in the drama competition, failing which Felu has threatened to roast Bogla and his team alive.

Bogla pleads with his band of followers — played by Riddhi Sen, Ujan Chatterjee, Sudeep Dhara, Mithun Gupta and Jeet Sundor — to help him stage a play based on the Mahabharata. But Kebu (Riddhi) is caught in a bind as Bogla’s rival, the headmaster, is his ladylove Madhuja’s (Ditipriya Roy) father.

Director Dhrubo Banerjee adds new characters and subplots to the story, the first half of which is dedicated to introducing the key characters and establishing their relationships, and as a result slowing down the momentum to some degree.

The main plot — the theatrical face-off and the sticky situation that Kebu finds himself in in fighting against the father of the girl he wishes to marry — kicks in long after intermission. A sense of restlessness begins to creep in by then, but the witty dialogues and sharp performances manage to keep you invested.

Kharaj Mukherjee is a livewire as Boglacharan, who transitions from an escapist running away from problems to a man with a plan to take on the challenge head on. Koushik Sen, who plays Kebu’s uncle Mejo, is almost as good as Bogla’s constant critic and rival in romance — both of them have strong feelings for Krishna (Aparajita Adhya).

Rajatava Dutta is a riot as Felu Acharya, the trigger-happy don who turns into a submissive son in front of his mother. Sandip Bhattacharya also delivers laughs as the arrogant headmaster who prides himself on his ‘culture’. And like Ballabhpurer Roopkotha (2019), his resemblance to Utpal Dutt, both in terms of looks and performance, is uncanny.

The film cleverly balances the relationships, with Kebu and Madhuja’s youthful dynamic in contrast to Bogla and Krishna’s mature chemistry. Aparajita also has some of the best lines and, of course, she kills it.

The background score and music by Indraadip Dasgupta, and Soumik Halder’s cinematography enhance the essence of the 1980s.