Amole Gupte has had a touch with child centric movies. He knows just the right way of directing, to make a novice kid look like a seasoned actor on screen. And trust us when we say, he has been able to do that with Kushmeet Gill as well. The acting of Kushmeet Gill, however, is a treat to watch, and we would love to see the talented young man making much more appearances. The movie tries too hard to be a detective movie, and it is not one.Though the script was a low-point of the movie, Amole Gupte only does 3 quarters of his work and adds on to the lack of impact.

Known for his path-breaking children’s films, Amol Gupte’s latest offering – Sniff – offers us a sweet insight into the world of kids. Sniff is the story of Sunny Gill (Khushmeet Gill) who cannot smell. The filmmaker established the plot and premise quite impressively, mixing in minute details of the entire society and the protagonist's family. The group of talented actors cast in the film only add to the authenticity of the narrative. While the supporting cast makes for a splendid backdrop, it is Khushmeet who emerges as the best - his serene, innocent presence creates an atmosphere that makes us want to believe every single scene in the movie. However, Sniff does not make us laugh despite clear attempts to do so. There are a few moments stolen - mostly when only the kids are in the frame - that bring a smile to our face but no laugh-out-loud moments. Despite an interesting narrative Gupte’s story is sadly lost in execution. Though there are a few sweet moments that warm our hearts, Sniff is not too engaging as Gupte indulges a little too much in the side characters which sometimes takes away the focus and limelight from Sunny. Despite the flaws, Sniff is a light-hearted film, not just for kids. You can also relive your childhood with the film and that’s not a bad deal.

There is something beautiful about the simplicity of Amol Gupte's aesthetic. The filmmaker priorities storytelling over style, which is why - despite an ace technical team - the opening credits of his latest film, Sniff, are made up of highly straightforward overhead food shots that look like something from Zee TV back in the day, not something gloriously oversaturated or mastercheffed up with slick wizardry. After setting up a mystery and a few suspects, Sniff loses its way in its attempt to become a detective story. The story about this bright child and his olfactory gift turns into a highly generic detective story, and while the film's cuteness never flags, the plot begins to feel too simple as it begins to lean increasingly on coincidence and, sadly, lesser and lesser on the unique superpower. Sniff is a brief film - less than ninety minutes long - that stays sweet to the end, but never quite recovers from this narrative drop. It's a nosedive. My favourite thing about Sniff is the way we see the children all behave in highly mature fashion: one wonders, for instance, if fear has a smell, while others tell ghost stories in style and expertly rig up detective clubhouses. Meanwhile, the grown-ups are all petty and childish, communicating in slaps and taunts, teasing and bullying. They all seem like incompetent caricatures tugged out of sitcoms, sitting in hare-brained society meetings and haranguing each other without tact or delicacy. Films for children should never talk down to children, and Gupte's films avoid this at all costs. As always, it's the adults who get in the way of a good time. Keep at it, Mr Gupte, our children need compassionate filmmakers like you. And like we say to someone who has just sneezed, God bless you.

What an absolutely lovely premise for a film crafted for children, which adults can potentially also enjoy. But Amol Gupte, who gave us the delightful Stanley Ka Dabba, falters with this one, because of a slack plot and treatment. We are familiar with Gupte’s skills in getting together children who are lively and natural. Such a pleasure, especially in a Bollywood film which gets its young ‘uns to be cute and precious and speak in annoyingly sing-song accents. Sniff is all heart, but neither sharp nor magical enough. With a couple of exceptions, especially Sikri as Sunny’s wizened pickle-creating grandma, the adults are dull and drawn with a heavy-hand. Also, why use a most tired device of all to raise laughter? A clumpy female cop played by Sushmita Mukherjee is made to slap a diabetic ‘mithai-stealer’ (Guha) repeatedly, and instead of laughing, we cringe. It’s Sunny and co who make us watch. And how nice to see a film in which the kids are all right.

Amole Gupte must be applauded for consistently making movies about kids and their lives. However, it is also pertinent to point out that humour for kids doesn’t have to be kiddish. Sniff!!! strikes out on this front. The child-actors baby-talk amongst themselves; the lines are either too patronizing or suddenly too mature (an eight-year-old says, “Can you smell fear, pain and sadness?”). Gupte’s other trick to get laughs is borderline offensive. Cultural stereotypes (a bossy Bengali woman who slaps her husband around, an opportunistic Gujarati guy, everyone’s accented Hindi) just aren’t funny anymore. Sniff!!! is at its best when Kushmeet is on his own, performing with sincerity. The core idea is also very promising. Sunny’s superpower should have done more, but deciding to utilize it in a measly car-robbery case is underwhelming. The first half spends too much time setting up Sunny’s life; the second half gives him his sense of smell but loses its own sense of direction. With a stronger sub-plot, this would have been a sweet, wholesome affair. The film has the ability to fly, but strangely decides to walk.