This movie can be found in Netflix, Amazon Prime, Jio Cinema and ShemarooMe
LANGUAGE: Hindi
RUNTIME: 2 Hours 20 Minutes
DIRECTOR: Harshavardhan Kulkarni
At a time where even the slightest reference to sex in any discussion is considered a taboo in our society, one film back in 2015 managed to break all stereotypes and delve deeply into what uncontrollable lust and desperation for intimacy can lead to and how it affects the person involved, all with a comic undertone brilliantly. The most important thing the film wants to convey is that no matter how many times we run away from the problems we face (or create), they do find their way back into our lives in some way or the other and at a time when we least expect them or when they are least needed. We need to be truthful to ourselves and face it with honesty. We follow the journey of Mandar, a sex addict with a group of equally horny friends who shows no sign of reluctance in hooking up with any random woman (married or unmarried) and no remorse in running away from the situation later, often leaving the women in a terrible situation behind. The best part about the movie is that we follow the journey of a completely imperfect protagonist, unlike the usual holier than thou persona embodied by protagonists of commercial cinema, throughout his teenage and adulthood, which lends a very realistic and relatable tone to the film. He is an asshole in so many ways, lacks honesty and yet, he is not an evil person, but someone who has a lot to learn, just like all of us. In spite of having such a risky and offbeat topic in hand, the makers manage to create a hilarious, and thought-provoking piece of film that will genuinely steer so many important conversations while making us laugh with relatability too and due credit must go to the writers for keeping it that way. The fact that comedy can exist while staying true to the message itself is a testimony to good writing. The direction of the film is quite appreciable too. The 1st half of the movie mostly involves Mandar’s teenage and it completely hooks you with the antics he and his notorious group of friends play which is portrayed in an extremely raw and hilarious manner. The rawness is what makes this humour unique. The film unapologetically portrays the things most teenagers feel upon entering that age. Some of the things the boys do in the film are really problematic as well, but that just goes towards portraying the characters written with utmost honesty. The second half involves his adulthood and the various situations he faces, mainly due to his perverted habits, and how he copes with them. However, the second half is certainly not restricted to just that. In the second half, we also see the character of Mandar essentially grow as a person and learn to be honest to himself and to the person he’s started truly loving. What makes this segment particularly hooking in spite of it being simple is that the makers have very creatively put a fine line between reality and the things going on in Mandar’s mind which gives the movie a sense of unpredictability while at the same time generating hysterical laughter among the audience when the suspense is disclosed. The fiction vs reality segments in the movie are undoubtedly the most hilarious bits of this film. The unpredictability does a great job in hooking the audience which on retrospect, wouldn’t have been possible otherwise, keeping in mind the simple premise of this movie and due credit must definitely go to the director Harshavardhan Kulkarni for doing this very effectively indeed. Had the cast not been chosen properly, this bold attempt would have definitely not been this impactful. Off course, leading the pack is the extremely talented Gulshan Deviah who effortlessly gets into the skin of the simple and yet fascinating character of Mandar. It is indeed a challenging job to fall in love and root for a flawed character, but Gulshan’s effortless charm and genuinely heartfelt performance manages to win over the audience with ease. The movie in a way, is a roller-coaster ride which essentially showcases, the ups and downs in Mandar and his friends life and Gulshan is equally convincing in the emotional as well as the comedic sequences. This in turn just proves his versatility as an actor. Radhika Apte, as Tripti definitely deserves a mention too. She has time and again proven how capable of an actor she is and even though this role isn’t the meatiest one she has received, whenever she is on screen, she is extremely convincing and has a magnetic onscreen persona that instantly attracts us. Another significant mention is of Shalva Kinjawadekar, the child actor who plays young Mandar. In fact, all the child actors involved did an appreciable job. This is one of those few films where everyone in terms of performance have done a very good job, be it the side actors or the main leads. There is nothing much to say about the cinematography in the movie, although the various colour palettes used to indicate the time frame in the movie is quite appreciable. The locations shot, are great and effectively portray the local lifestyle of the middle class. The movie travels through various timelines ranging from the 90s to the present and the film very effectively portrays all these timelines. There has been a lot of detailing given to getting the time frame right and authentic, which is quite evident and praiseworthy. We have briefly spoken about the writing of the film previously, however, the dialogues in particular, certainly deserves a mention too. Vijay Maurya has done a fantastic job in keeping the nature of this film intact with some really creative and hilarious dialogues filled with raw, edgy and intelligent adult humour with minimal cuss words. Not that I have anything against foul language in films, especially if the topic involved is something like this, but one can only imagine how challenging a job it must have been to pull it off effectively, in spite of minimalizing the cuss words. The music of the film is quite appreciable too. The soundtracks ‘chori chori’ and ‘hunter 303’ really standout among the others. The only problem I have with this film is that, the character of Mandar ends up in very convenient situations even after screwing up many times, which is a little unbelievable. If the women from his past had more to offer in the second half, the story might have been more thrilling and unpredictable. However, this is a very minute problem and can easily be ignored, considering how well written this movie is, otherwise. The biggest strength of this movie lies in the fact that in spite of being a comedy movie for the most part, there are multiple emotions you face as a viewer watching this movie. At times you get angry, at times you feel sorry, at times the movie really touches your heart. The point is, this film is beyond any particular genre. It is just a life journey of a genuine person, at its core. That is the reason, every single emotion you feel while watching, is real and heartfelt and, kudos to the writers for keeping it that way. All in all, the core message this film provides can be summarized through this wonderful quote by the renowned author, Sam Keens: “We come to love, not by finding the perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly”. Support such films guys!! They might not be perfect in all respects, but such films are a necessity in this judgemental society.
RATING: 3.5/5
