It’s unfair, the way details in a movie go unnoticed, uninterpreted, and thus, only half appreciated. No, I’m not alluding to the motif of the dancing and the kava-sipping twins. That’s standard fare for anyone raised on a healthy diet of cinema. What I’m alluding to, and doing so with unabashed bias, is the role of Chachaji( Akshay Arora ) - the character that appears little more than a poker face but which is really a rich soup of complex emotions. Primarily, he’s restraint. But the vexation he’s restraint to is not a vexation that’s been subdued by plain self-control. It’s a vexation that’s been tempered by propriety stemming from an innate considerateness(‘सुबह से भूखा प्यासा खड़ा है, किस मिट्टी का बना है ये’ is all he says of the suitor who’s sabotaging his niece’s mehndi ceremony). And then there’s the scene where Chachaji asks Abhishek whether he dons the turban when in London. But when he senses hesitation on Abhishek’s part, Chachaji scurries to change the subject. His transition isn’t a flawless one. The dosage of awkwardness is carefully calibrated to apprise us of the guileless man that he is. छा गए दोस्त! जो खरज के सुर लोग आधी ज़िंदगी फ़िल्में करने के बाद नहीं बुदबुदा पाते, वो तुमने पहली ही फ़िल्म में छेड़ दिए। और यह तो तब है जब ये तुम्हारा पेशा नहीं। How come I’m so perceptive of (and sensitised to) Chachaji’s expressions? Ah! When you’ve known a man for over 30 years (boarding-school, college years, years thereafter), you tend to become that way; especially when you’ve been regular at eliciting those individual strands of vexation, considerateness, and restraint(sometimes, not in that order). And now about that other batchmate, Anurag Kashyap. What do I say? It’s tempting to plagiarise on Tarantino’s ‘we’re a great fan of your work’ but I’ll let that pass. Instead, Kashyap, allow me to compliment you on a feat that’s rarely been accomplished in Indian cinema: Extracting a performance from Abhishek Bachchan. I’m sure you’ve brought great succour to his dad’s heart. God knows he deserves it. You know, most of us parents harbour a belief about our kids. ‘दिमाग़ तो इसमें बहुत है। बस, पढ़ाई में दिल नहीं लगता।’ शुक्रिया तुम्हारा कि तुमने बच्चन साहब के बालक का पढ़ाई में दिल लगवाया। Also, the grapevine has it Kashyap that this is your biggest commercial hit. And while there already may exist an explanations galore for that phenomenon, let’s also try moviespeak. Schindler’s List. Remember the scene where Schindler tells Emilie about how there was always something missing in all his previous business ventures. And that even if he knew what it was, he could’ve done nothing because that something cannot be created; because that something is what makes all the difference between success and failure. ‘Luck?’ guesses Emilie. ‘War’ he corrects. ‘Luck’ was right too. Because it was ultimately luck that came riding on the shoulders of war. In your case, Kashyap, it would appear that luck came riding on a scooter. I’d say latch on to it. बाक्क़ी त्वाडि मनमर्जियाँ।
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