I must admit that right at the start that i had expectations of this movie which is something I try to avoid with most movies these days. Don't get me wrong,I expect them to entertain and but do not usually expect to be awakened,enlightened or even particularly interested but this one was different. Onir has made decent movies before.It had Shabana Azmi,Boman Irani,Sanjay Suri , Sharman Joshi - all actors who i like and also it was going to be the relaunch pad for Chirangda Singh who I think is one of the most beautiful and talented creatures I have ever seen on the Indian screen so yes,I had expectations.
The plot is simple. A son who lives abroad announces his wedding and asks the family to come over for the wedding. The mother is upset,understandably so, the son apparently has not come back home for a while and plus lets not forget she is an Indian mother!! So the family comprising of parents and kid brother(Sid-a physics genius+ struggling scientist) go to Mauritius(pretty locations people!) One gets taken on a tour of the country along with the cast. Blah,yawn. The girl(Ally) is gorgeous(AS looks lovely though I still feel her beauty works better in Indian clothes)The older brother (Harry) is in love with his fiance but very busy with his vaguely defined business. The family is your average run of the mill dysfunctional one where over the years they have drifted apart. Anyways,the family spends time with bahu- to -be and kid brother and fiancee end up falling in love and the rest of the movie is about how that gets resolved.Psst all's well that ends well :)
The movie is not unwatchable. Its a sweet movie and has sincere performances. There are some good lines and repartee.Some scenes are little gems- one can sense the genuine affection between Boman Irani and Shabana as the parents. The cast seems like real people,no over the top designer clothing , sensible make up and dialogue that sounds like real conversation instead of speeches.
And yet...the plot though simplistic could have made for a better movie.The screenplay is loose.The characters hastily etched. The cast in my opinion is underutilised though they soldier on quite bravely. Shabana is wonderful as is Boman Irani who incidentally is probably the only one I really got a sense of despite his being a smallish role with not too much dialogue/ Sanjay Suri as the big brother shines in precisely one scene,its not his fault,he is a competent actor but is not supported by the script. Chitrangda looks lovely and seductive despite her unprovocative clothing and stance,I can totally imagine any man falling for her and yet..its such a non- impactful and borderline unpleasant character.. One understands that as the child of a broken home she must be insecure but her OTT reaction to Shabana's resentment(which she had been warned about),her pursuit of Sid and her seduction of him despite the obvious ramifications and even her totally namby pamby attitude towards her own career ambitions(one never gets a sense of it except some vague reference to some studying she wants to do) don't make for a character one empathises with. But its not Chitrangda's fault..the character is just not well defined and her motivations are somewhat obscure.
But then,there was Sharman Joshi,I just loved him. He brings the slightly absent minded, shy and very lovable Sid to life with his portrayal His love and respect for his mother even though to an almost unhealthy level comes through clearly even when it is going to totally ruin his life.He is torn by his attraction to his sister in law to be and his obvious loyalty to his brother and his family.One empathises with him and despite everything one really likes him.
The film hangs heavily on the fact that Shabana is a controlling mother and she tries to rule her sons' lives but that does not really come through. She seems like any concerned mother who is understandably apprehensive about the girl who has been very suddenly introduced into their midst by her son and needs to be won over and that happens without quite much effort on any one's part.The Maa Kasam bit also just does not ring true.
The movie does have some very nice scenes- The scene where Sid confesses his love to his brother (sorry bhai) , the banter between Irani and Shabana as Sid is trying to book their tickets, the moments between father and son..
So there it is,my take on the movie..watchable but not unmissable..
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