Review: Toaster – Misery of a Miser!

Hindi dark comedies often blend sharp humour with crime, murder, and moral chaos, creating stories that are both entertaining and unsettling. Films like Andhadhun and Delhi Belly showcase how wit and suspense can coexist with unexpected violence. These narratives thrive on flawed characters, irony, and unpredictable twists, where crime becomes almost absurdly humorous. Now, Toaster joins the list.
Actor-couple #RajkumarRao and #Patralekha have now turned producers. Their production company, Kampa Films, has produced its maiden film, Toaster, in which Rajkumar plays the lead.

Ramakant (Rajkumar Rao) is a stingy, miserly man who can go to any length to save a penny. His wife Shilpa (#SanyaMalhotra), on the other hand, is quite the opposite and behaves normally. When they are invited to a wedding, she compels Ramakant to buy an expensive (by his standards) gift—a toaster worth a few thousand rupees. Ramakant is shaken when he learns that the wedding has been called off after the reception. He decides to retrieve his toaster, but one thing leads to another, and he gets entangled in a series of criminal situations. What follows forms the crux of the story, involving the police and politicians. The concept is interesting, but the execution could have been better. The screenplay should have avoided certain perverse twists, as they feel outdated. The dialogues are funny in parts, largely due to the actors’ timing.

Rajkumar Rao carries the entire film on his shoulders and delivers a striking performance. A stronger screenplay would have elevated his performance even further, but he still manages to hold the audience’s attention till the end. Sanya Malhotra has limited screen time but does a good job. Archana Puran Singh does justice to her character, while others, including Abhishek Banerjee, Farah Khan, and Upendra Limaye, provide solid support.

In Toaster, a murder mystery laced with comedy, Rajkumar Rao delivers an excellent performance.

Rating: ***

By Keerti Kadam