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Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Being Cyrus (2006) - English Crossover Movie Review

Ranking: 4/5

Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Naseerudin Shah, Bomman Irani
Director: Homi Adjania
Music: Salim-Sulaiman


Do I like this movie? I don't know. Was I bored? Nope. Was it interesting? Yup. Was I curious? Totally. These are some of the feelings that passed through my mind as I sat watching this movie. Incredible screenplay and performances make this somewhat predictable story a very interesting movie.

The story is about the Sethna family, a rich but dysfunctional Parsi family settled between Mumbai and Panchgani. Dinshaw (Naseerudin), a famous potter of yesteryear lives in Panchgani with his wife Katie (Dimple). They are not happy couple, Dinshaw and Katie live in their own worlds.

Enter Cyrus Mistry (Saif), the narrator of the story. He is an orphan who had been living in various foster homes with his sister. He moves in with the Sethna's in pretense of being an apprentice to Dinshaw. He is welcomed with open arms and sometimes just a little more than that from Katie. Katie and Cyrus have a flirty relationship. In the course of a year Cyrus learns all about the Sethna's.

The sethna's family has a surviving dad, a brother Farooq (Boman), and the brother's wife Tina (Simone). The father the owner of a big apartment complex in Mumbai lives in a small shacked up room adjacent to his illtreating son's apartment. Farooq, a controller, oppresses both his wife and his father. While he is having an affair with someone over the phone.

Cyrus, on the request of Katie travels to Mumbai to deliver a package from Katie to Dinshaw's father who is senile. Cyrus taking pity on the state of life led by the old man starts visiting him often and starts befriending him. How does the Sethna family and Cyrus Mistry's life get entangled? For that you need to watch the movie because anything else I might say now might give away the whole plot...Just trying to keep the suspense in!

The ending of the movie though serious has a very comical narration and touch to it. In fact it was even funny and at times confusing. Though the story seemed predictable at times sharp twists makes it a very unpredictable movie.

How many actors have more than one chance to prove that they can act and make a movie work? Well Saif and Abhishek Bachan are a couple I can name off my head who have had more than 15 chances before they finally made an entrance. But that does not give me the right to take away credit from Saif for a job well done in this movie...His portrayal of Cyrus was just perfect.

Dimple, Naseerudin Shah, Boman Irani, and Simone Singh should be commended for a job well done. From the casting of the police inspector to the fat lady with a dog everybody in the movie were well picked for their role...On the whole the movie is a package well put together!

For some odd reason I did not come out of the theater with a happy feeling but rather a very disturbed mind...So If you are the kind that enjoys a light movie this might just be too heavy for you. Because it is Dark Comedy!

1 comment:

wiredbeats said...

You are right, the rap in VV is authentic. Its was a welcome change from pseudo desi versions which usually blaazee performs. I guess this new VV guy will go places. No harris, but the rapper.