It was the time of the year when everybody was suffering from comedy fatigue. Malamaal Weekly, Phir Hera Pheri and Pyare Mohan had come and gone. I found the latter two to be completely flat, while Malamaal Weekly had its moments. Chup Chup Ke is more of a rounded ensemble effort. Instead of abandoning script sense and telling the actors to just run around, Priyadarshan makes the most of the premise in his second film of the year.

Rajpal Yadav, Paresh Rawal and Om Puri reliably turn out the laughs but the story also has a strong emotional undercurrent with its themes of family and love. Kareena Kapoor is admirably restrained as the mute girl, and her appeal in the wedding sequence at the climax is heart-rending.