India, April 15 -- At one point in Toaster, Ramakant (Rajkummar Rao) goads Inspector Balagode (Upendra Limaye) to "awaken the animal inside you" and that, for me, is the film's smartest, most tongue-in-cheek moment. It cheekily nods to Limaye's presence in the hit Animal (2023), but also makes you wonder if there's enough of that crackling energy here to truly power Toaster. Let's find out.

Directed by Vivek Daschaudary, Toaster brings to mind films like Lootcase and Madgaon Express, which steered clear of cheap humour and double entendre, relying instead on situational comedy and sharp writing. The story follows Ramakant, a miser to the core, who would rather gift a perfume tester from his own shop at a wedding than loosen his purse str...