Starring: Boman Irani, Avinash Tiwary, Shreya Chaudhry, Puja Sarup
Director: Boman Irani
This directorial debut of talented Bollywood actor, Boman Irani, has made quite the impact on the film festival circuit before dropping on Amazon Prime Video recently.
We meet Amay Mehta (Tiwary) at his high-flying architectural firm in Mumbai as his colleague and secret girlfriend Zara (Chaudhry) attempts to boost his self-confidence to pitch his ideas for a new cultural centre to their big boss. Soon after they head into the conference room for the meeting, Amay has to rush out after receiving some unsettling news.
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As he arrives in his hometown in neighbouring Gujarat, he finds comfort with his sister Anu (Sarup) who has flown in from the US after the sudden passing of their mother. Their cricket loving father, Shiv Mehta (Irani), is expectedly devastated by the loss of his life partner and finding solace on the local cricket pitch with the neighbourhood kids. Now that he is alone, Shiv is reconciled to his fate of having to leave his cherished home filled with memories to live with his daughter and her family in America.
The strained bond between Shiv and Amay is palpable through the crushing grief of the family’s untimely loss. There is an obvious lack of communication issue compounded by the male egos of the two Mehta Boys, which Anu tries to delicately balance. But when the flight she was to board with her father delays Shiv’s travel plans due to overbooking, it takes all her diplomatic skills to convince them that they can survive under one roof for the two days before Shiv’s new flight. Will this forced proximity of the grief-stricken father and son in the latter’s tiny Mumbai flat help them bond or will their clashing personalities prove too explosive to handle?
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This father-son saga’s simple yet impactful handling by actor-turned-director Boman Irani strikes an effective and emotional note. It is difficult to take sides as we see their conflict escalate over seemingly minor issues. The generational divide is apparent, not least in the architecture that plays out as an undercurrent between them. However, the underlying mutual love and respect between two people hesitant to display their true feelings manages to shine through as a result of the measured performances by all the actors.
This sentimental story will strike a chord with all kids and parents alike, giving it a universal theme that will resonate with a wide range of audiences.