Tag: Amitabh Bachchan

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I Want To Talk review: Not Shoojit Sircar’s best, yet this tale of determination and resilience is worth watching

Abhishek Bachchan delivers an extraordinary performance rising above the uneven storytelling. The father and daughter dynamics are the movie’s strongest suit.
I Want To Talk (Hindi), 22-11-2024, Drama, 2 hours 2 minutes, U/A, Theatre
  • Main Cast:Abhishek Bachchan, Ahilya Bamroo, and Johny Lever
  • Director: Shoojit Sircar
  • Producer: Ronnie Lahiri, Sheel Kumar
  • Music Director: George Joseph, Koyna
  • Cinematography: Avik Mukhopadhayay
  • Rating: 3/5

Shoojit Sircar, known for his films like Piku (2015), October (2018) and Sardar Udham Singh (2021), focuses primarily on grief, death and hope.

His latest release I Want To Talk also dabbles with similar themes. In fact, it feels like an extension of his previous films, so much so that, some parts of Abhishek Bachchan’s characterization have a hangover of Amitabh Bachchan in the engrossing Piku.

Synopsis

Based on an incredible real-life story, I Want To Talk focuses on Abhishek Bachchan’s Arjun Sen. Arjun is a typical marketing man who can manipulate customers with ease.

He has given more importance to rising high in his career, and as a result, his personal relationships aren’t in the best shape.

The story takes a turn when Arjun’s professional career hits rock bottom when he is diagnosed with a particular type of cancer.

His doctor, Dr Deb played by Jayant Kriplani, gives him a timeline of just about 100 days leading to a major metamorphosis in Arjun Sen’s life.

This is the story in brief.

Abhishek as Arjun Sen

Abhishek Bachchan in I Want To Talk
Abhishek Bachchan in ‘I Want To Talk’. (X)

A story like I Want To Talk relies a lot on how well your central character showcases the gamut of emotions. And Abhishek Bachchan is easily the movie’s biggest strength. He gets into the skin of the role.

It is a character filled with many layers and Abhishek makes sure that the viewers root for him in spite of the fact that Arjun isn’t always likeable.

How he portrays the initial hopelessness to eventually transform himself into a fighter is simply outstanding.

Father daughter dynamics

The actor particularly shines in the scenes with the daughter played by the fantastic Ahilya Bamroo.

The way he portrays Arjun’s possessiveness and the attempts to reconnect with the daughter is heart-touching.

Ahilya Bamroo more than holds her own opposite Abhishek. She wonderfully conveys the emotional turmoil of a teenage daughter caught in a complex situation.

The intense scenes between her and Abhishek are a delight to watch. Underneath the anger, there is also a tenderness which comes out strong.

Apart from the father and daughter dynamics mention must also be made of the equation between Arjun and Dr Deb. The scenes between them have shades of humour particularly the portions of banter.

A scene which deserves a particular mention is when Arjun crashes into Dr Deb’s Sunday lunch and comes to know that most of his stomach has to be cut. Jayanth Kriplani as Dr Deb plays his part with a lot of warmth giving the movie some of its best moments.

What doesn’t work

A major issue with I Want To Talk is its way too languid pace. The movie feels way too slow with some repetitive shots. The film also needed a much better exploration of Arjun’s relationship with his ex-wife.

It comes across as a side note adding little heft. The portions featuring Johny Lever also drag down the movie significantly.

The attempt to infuse humour into a morbid subject like this doesn’t always land, unlike an October.

A movie like this hasn’t got much place for music, still, the tunes are lacklustre, to say the least.

On the other hand, Avik Mukhopadhyay’s cinematography is of a fine order. He does a fine job of capturing the various moods of the protagonist through his lens.

Final take

Overall I Want To Talk leaves something to be desired. Given the emotional core of the subject, the film could have been much more, yet Abhishek Bachchan’s stand-out act along with the main message of fighting against all odds make it worth watching.

(Views expressed here are personal.)

https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/i-want-to-talk-movie-review/

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Vettaiyan: The triumph of stardom over storytelling

At its core director TJ Gnanvel has an important story to say, the dangers of hurried justice resulting from external pressure and sufferings of the poor but the struggle to balance the societal aspects with the demands of Rajinikanth fans make it an uneven film at best

  • Starcast: Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan, Fahadh Faasil, Rana Daggubati, Manju Warrier, Ritika Singh and others
  • Director and writer: TJ Gnanvel
  • Additional writer: B Kiruthika
  • Producer: Subaskaran Allirajah
  • Music: Anirudh Ravichander
  • Cinematography: SR Kathir
  • Production Company: Lyca Productions
  • Running time: 2 hours and 45 minutes

T J Gnanvel’s last movie Jai Bhim was a hard-hitting tale on the horrors of custodial torture. It was by no means an easy watch particularly the portions involving police atrocities, but still the relevancy of those scenes shook the viewers conscience. Jai Bhim rightfully won many awards along with garnering excellent ratings. What also made Jai Bhim a major winner was the use of Suriya’s stardom. The actors star power at no point overpowered the narrative, Suriya also blended in perfectly delivering his lines with absolute conviction. Vettaiyan directed by the same TJ Gnanvel’s also focuses on the sufferings of poor people showcasing the transformation of an encounter specialist while merging the topic of educational scams. But unlike Jai Bhim here the director’s handling of the subject leaves a lot to be desired. Vettaiyan isn’t a complete washout particularly if you are a diehard Rajinikanth fan, but the movie leaves you with the feeling that it could have been so much more given the names associated.

Vettaiyan isn’t a complete washout particularly if you are a diehard Rajnikanth fan

Vettaiyan primarily focuses on the vastly different ideologies of SP Athiyan (Rajinikanth) and a prominent lawyer cum human rights activist Sathyaraj (Amitabh Bachchan). SP Athiyan is popularly known as an encounter specialist. He is a no- nonsense police officer who prefers the method of extrajudicial killings in order to deliver speedy justice. Sathyaraj is a vocal critic of SP Athiyan’s methods. Sathyaraj firmly believes that speedy justice is not the way to go about things. For him it is as bad as delaying cases for years in court. Fahadh Faasil is Patrick. He is a thief turned police informer with a lot of technical knowledge. His knowledge regarding the technical aspects makes him a very valuable addition. SP Athiyan’s firm belief on speedy justice takes a major hit when an innocent person dies. He is forced to reconsider his ideals marking a significant change in the thought process. This is the story in brief.

Vettaiyan primarily focuses on the vastly different ideologies of SP Athiyan (Rajinikanth) and a prominent lawyer cum human rights activist Sathyaraj (Amitabh Bachchan)

Through Vettaiyan director TJ Gnanvel has focused on multiple social issues whether it is encounter killings to satisfy a mob or the business of education, particularly exams like NEET. All of this while trying to merge Rajinikanth’s stardom. This khichdi doesn’t come across satisfactorily and a major reason for that it is the confused tone.

The first half is filled with numerous scenes of Rajinikanth carrying out his own form of justice against the backdrop of Anirudh Ravichander’s stylized background score. These are very repetitive in nature tiring the audiences quickly. What also makes the proceedings silly is the reason behind SP Athiyan’s wife played by Manju Warrier to not have children. There is a scene where Athiyan talks about the wife not wanting children as she believes it is a form of sacrifice for her husband killings. It is a very flimsily written scene leaving no impact whatsoever.

Yes, the inevitable transformation in SP Athiyan does take place in the second half. There are few scenes exploring the guilt that SP Athiyan faces, but TJ Gnanvel doesn’t let those moments linger. From the middle of second half the movie gets into the usual zone of good versus evil. Rana Daggubati plays a typical corporate villain who feeds on the poor. The actor has a towering presence but suffers majorly on the account of a sketchy characterization. It looks he had directly entered from Baahubali sets to this.

Amitabh Bachchan as Sathyaraj though makes his presence amply felt. Sure, the characterization lacks the meat of what Nag Ashwin pulled off with the Shahenshah in Kalki 2989 AD. But still the senior actor brings in a much-needed gravitas in the scenes where he talks about unequal society and the poor generally being the causalities of encounter killings. Rajinikanth as SP Athiyan is mostly required to be a star which the actor pulls off with consummate ease but there isn’t much in the role for the actor Rajini to shine.

Fahadh Faasil as Patrick raises many chuckles with his antics. He brings in a certain energy perfectly embodying the required street smartness. There is also a slight emotional touch in a crucial scene with Rajinikanth making the viewers feel for Patrick.

Fahadh Faasil as Patrick raises many chuckles with his antics. He perfectly embodies the street-smart nature

Anirudh’s music once again after Devara is a major misfire. Working on too many projects is clearly affecting the quality of this young talented musician. The background score though slightly better becomes monotonous after a point.

A major problem of Vettaiyan are also the investigative portions of the second half. The pattern of investigation and the eventual reveal of Rana being the big villain becomes easy to guess leaving little to no surprises. The hero and villain clash also becomes heavily one sided.

To sum it up Vettaiyan wants to be both a commercial entertainer and also a serious movie, but it eventually ends up in the zone of nowhere. A major letdown from the director of Jai Bhim.

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Bollywood actors through the lens of South Indian directors

A rundown into some of the Telugu and Tamil directors who have successfully presented Bollywood actors in a different light and gave major hits       

As the wave of pan India has caught in a huge way, the crossover between Hindi film actors and South Indian directors, particularly those belonging to Telugu and Tamil cinema (also known as Tollywood and Kollywood) has resulted in some successful collaborations. One of the earlier examples is Aamir Khan’s Ghajini (2008). Director AR Murugadoss made a significant impact with this Tamil remake.

Ghajini

Ghajini opened the 100-crore club in Bollywood; it was a major money spinner in those times. For Aamir Khan Ghajini was altogether a different film from what he was doing till then, it presented him in a massy avatar. In spite of the obvious comparisons to Suriya’s stellar acting, Aamir also left his own imprint particularly the physical part of it. He looked like a wounded tiger out on an avenging spree.

In spite of the obvious comparisons to Suriya’s stellar acting Aamir also left his own imprint particularly the physical part of it.

Kabir Singh

Before Kabir Singh, again a remake of a south (Telugu) movie Arjun Singh, Shahid Kapoor did not have a major solo hit. The likes of Jab We Met, Udta Punjab and Haider were hit movies no doubt but not commercial blockbusters. Though Padmaavat did more than 300 crores Ranveer Singh walked away with all the accolades and rightly so. But Sandeep Reddy Vanga gave Shahid a big spectrum to play with in Kabir Singh and the actor didn’t disappoint. Whether it is portraying the highly toxic and passionate love of Kabir or in the breakdown scenes Shahid did his best. Although the movie was pretty much a carbon copy of the original Shahid brought his own intensity to the role. Much like Ghajini this remake also did far bigger numbers than the original. It is a separate matter that Shahid could not capitalize on this blockbuster success later in his career.  

Kabir Singh gave Shahid Kapoor a big spectrum to play with and the actor didn’t disappoint

Jawan

It is a well-known fact that Shah Rukh Khan was going through a very rough patch both professionally and personally before the release of Siddarth Anand’s Pathaan and Atlee’s Jawan. For Atlee Jawan was a huge leap given that he had mostly collaborated with Vijay Thalapathy till then. For someone like him directing a megastar like Shah Rukh Khan is not a piece of cake.

But Atlee more than rose up to the challenge, he passed with flying colours. Atlee’s presentation of SRK particularly the father character of Vikram Rathore erupted huge cheers among the moviegoers. Shah Rukh also effortlessly slipped into the universe of Atlee having a lot of fun in a movie that has essentially 50 shades of SRK.

For SRK too it was a very profitable film both in terms of expanding his fan base and box office numbers. It was almost like a king size comeback with more than 700 crores.

Shah Rukh Khan also effortlessly slipped into the universe of Atlee

Animal

Animal directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga is easily the most polarizing movie of Ranbir’s career, more than even Sanju. Ranbir’s previous movies have also featured strained father and son relationships, but Animal took it to a whole new level. Animal showcased Ranbir in his darkest avatar till date, as Ranbir himself confessed that he was scared when he heard the script and had severe doubts about doing the role. However, to Ranbir’s credit he went full throttle and delivered a power packed performance though the story itself was highly controversial.   

Ranbir Kapoor’s darkest avatar till date

Kalki

Lastly there is this year’s Kalki directed by Nag Ashwin, a Telugu language epic science fiction film. The last few outings of Amitabh Bachchan have varied from just average to good. While he had solid roles in Jhund and Uunchai, in Bramhastra and Ganapath he didn’t have much to do. He was particularly wasted in Bramhastra as just a mere guru. But his fans and neutral audiences got the opportunity to see vintage Amitabh Bachchan with Kalki 2989 AD.

Bachchan had the best written role by a long margin and the senior actor just chewed the scenery with a stellar performance. The way he takes on the character of Prabhas was a sheer delight to watch. On many occasions he overshadowed the other cast members with just his towering screen presence. With his performance of Ashwatthama Bachchan showed that he can give any young actor a run for their money even at the age of 81.

For someone like Nag Ashwin too handling a film of this scale and directing someone like Amitabh Bachchan is a major achievement.

The fans and neutral audiences got the opportunity to see vintage Amitabh Bachchan in Kalki 2989 AD

Not so lucky ones

At the same time, it has to be said that working with south directors or in remakes of south films hasn’t proved to be so lucky for other Bollywood actors. Case in point is Akshay Kumar’s Sarfira, a remake of the Tamil hit Soorarai Pottru directed by Sudha Kongara. She also helmed the remake. Soorarai Pottru got both rave reviews and major awards. Suriya got the best actor award in the prestigious national awards; the movie also won an award for best film. Later Soorarai Pottru was also dubbed into Hindi with the name of Uddan. Hence it makes no business sense to remake it and not surprisingly Sarfira got added to the long list of commercial failures of Akshay post pandemic. Before Sarfira there was Bachchan Pandey, a remake of Jigarthanda. That was also a major commercial failure. Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan’s Vikram Vedha also turned out to be a box office turkey. Though Hrithik Roshan got good reviews for bringing his own touch to the role of Vedha, but it wasn’t enough for the movie to sail through.

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Kalki 2898 AD: A gutsy attempt at mixing dystopian world with Mahabharata

Nag Ashwin proves his capability as a versatile director, the movie works best when it focuses on Prabhas and Amitabh Bachchan

  • Starcast: Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Deepika Padukone, Saswata Chatterjee, Pashupathy, Anna Ben and others
  • Special appearances: Mrunal Thakur, Dulquer Salman, S.S Rajamouli, Vijay Devarakonda, Ramgopal Varma etc.
  • Story, direction, screenplay and dialogues: Nag Ashwin
  • Additional screenplay: Rutham Samar
  • Additional dialogues: Sai Madhav Burra and B.S Saewagna Kumar
  • Producer: C. Ashwini Dutt
  • Production Company: Vijayanthi movies
  • Cinematography: Djordge Stojilijkovic
  • Music: Santhosh Narayan
  • Genre: Science fiction
  • Running time: 3 hours and 1 minute

The track record of Indian cinema with science fiction/futuristic worlds is pretty abysmal. A major reason for it is the necessity of masala elements where the hero has to do romance, comedy and action while saving the world. Rakesh Roshan’s Krrish movies though not seamless did a good job in mixing Hollywood tropes with Indian Masala. Ayan Mukherjee’s Bramhastra was high on visuals, but a weakly written love story coupled with erratic characterizations made the movie just about an average watch. Last year Vikas Bahl made an attempt at directing a movie set in a futuristic world where the society is divided into two and poverty is at an extremely high level. Ganapath ended up being more about Tiger Shroff’s somersaults and was roundly rejected by the audiences.

Now you have Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD also set in a futuristic world. The two-film old director has already created a niche for himself with Yevade Subramanyam and the biopic Mahanati on the legendary actress Savitri. Mahanati in particular is a challenging movie given that it is based on a very beloved actress who is admired by many, but he did complete justice to her life. With Kalki 2898 AD the director has pushed himself even more and let his imagination fly high. For example, he makes you believe that there would be a future where women would have zero autonomy over their bodies and the need for capitalistic gains will wipe out cities. In spite of obvious similarities to Dune and the Mad Max films Nag Ashwin delivers an impressive concoction of sci fi elements with mythology. But the women characters are a major weak spot, and the random love story of Prabhas with Disha Patani is a major speed breaker.

Kalki 2898 AD moves along multiple timelines starting from the Kurukshetra war. Amitabh Bachchan is Ashwatthama who is cursed with immortality by lord Krishna. On the other hand, there is the dystopian landscape of Kashi, the world’s last city. However, it is in complete shambles. The mighty Ganges is in a parched state and food is naturally scarce. There is a towering structure called Complex governed by Yaskin played by Kamal Haasan. He rules the place with an iron fist. Inside the Complex there are many fertile women who have been put on an experiment. Deepika Padukone’s SUM-80 alias Sumathi is an employee who is supposed to make sure that these fertile women get sufficient food and medicine. But there is a twist here; Sumathi who has been considered infertile for ages is now five months pregnant. Then you have Shambala a place for refugees from different faiths and cultures. They are putting their lives at stake for a better future.

Bhairava (Prabhas) wants to escape from the dreariness of Kashi and get into the Complex. He has AL car Bujji (with a fun voiceover by Keerty Suresh). There is a constant banter between them which gradually develops into a strong bond. Bhairava is a selfish man who is unaware of his destiny. As the story progresses Bhairava’s life gets intermingled with Ashwatthama, Sumathi and the people of Shambala.

For a movie like this a seamless blend of special effects and cinematography is very necessary and Kalki 2898 AD scores full marks in this department. The high-octane action sequences between Amitabh Bachchan and Prabhas in particular is a major highlight. Thankfully Nag Ashwin doesn’t show Bhairava as invincible, on more than one occasion we see him getting hurt. These scenes are also sprinkled with humour that bring a smile. Nitin Zihani Choudary’s production design also deserves a particular mention in how he creates an imaginary landscape that immerses the audiences.

Director Nag Ashwin also deserves distinction marks for how he integrates the Kurukshetra episode in the film. The emotional turmoil of Ashwatthama and his quest for repentance strikes a chord. Amitabh Bachchan delivers a stellar act overshadowing Prabhas on occasions.

Prabhas as Bhairava has a role that comes with different shades. There is humor, and he also comes across as not so likeable. Prabhas does complete justice to both. His interactions with Keerty Suresh’s Bujji add a lot to the movie.

Kamal Haasan as the evil Yaskin has a brief role but he sends down a chill with his intimidating act.

Santhosh Narayanan’s music lacks good songs but he more than compensates it with a powerful background score.

Kalki 2898 AD has many cameos from actors and directors. Out of these Ramgopal Varma and S.S Rajamouli are fun to watch. There is a Baahubali reference where Prabhas jokingly says about how he gave 5 years to that project, it definitely raises a chuckle. Among others Mrunal Thakur is impressive in her brief role.

A big flaw of Kalki 2898 AD are the two female leads. Disha Patani is only used for glamour and one completely out of place song. Deepika Padukone on the other hand plays a pregnant woman mirroring her real life. She is mostly required to look petrified, and the expressions irritate after a point.

The movie’s runtime could have been crisper with lesser cameos. For example, Dulquer Salman and Avasarala Srinivas don’t add anything significant with their presence.

A caution: Too many good directors going into the dystopian landscape is something that the industry should be careful about.

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Ganapath: A Show Reel For Tiger Shroff’s Somersaults

The film begins off as a dystopian drama with some promise but soon becomes a generic Tiger Shroff vehicle with no head or tail 

Ganapath (Hindi)             1 out of 5

Starcast: Tiger Shroff, Kriti Sanon, Amitabh Bachchan, Rahman and others

Writer and director: Vikas Bahl

Producers: Vikas Bahl, JackkyBhagnani, Vashu Bhagnani and others

Production Companies: Good Co and Pooja Entertainment

Runtime: 2 hours and 30 minutes

Genre: Action/dystopian

Vikas Bahl’s Ganapath starts off with a voice over of Dalapathi (Amitabh Bachchan with his trademark baritone). He talks about how a destructive war has led to a world divided in two parts. On the one hand you have the ‘Silver City’ where the rich and mighty are ruling the roost. Their leader is the cold hearted Dalani. On the other hand you have the ‘Garibon Ki basti’. The people living here don’t have sufficient food, water or money. However they are living in a certain hope that a saviour called Ganapath will get them out of this hell. This was prophesied by Dalapathi before he dies. Ironically their saviour Guddu aka Ganapath (Tiger Shroff) is living a super rich life in the Silver City.

Tiger Shroff’s introduction shot shows him waking up with many skimpily clad women swooning over him. This has to be one of the worst hero introduction scenes ever. Guddu works for John English (Ziad Bakari). John English is an aid of Dalani. Things take a turn when John’s girlfriend (Elli AvRam) tries to seduce Guddu and both of them are caught red handed. The rest of the story is about what Guddu’s actual identity is and how he ends up being a messiah for the ‘Garibon Ki basti’.

There is no denying that the story of Ganapath had the potential to be an impactful action drama with some social commentary. However the problem is that director Vikas Bahl had given more focus on Tiger Shroff’s physical agility rather than a well structured film.

Tiger Shroff’s action and swag is very much on point but we have seen Tiger do all these in his previous films so there is nothing new for the audiences. A primary reason why Siddarth Anand’s War remains Tiger Shroff’s best performance so far is that his action in that film was backed by a strong emotional undercurrent. Here it is mostly missing except for a heartfelt speech in the climax. But by that time audiences are well past caring for what is happening on the screen.

Further adding to the woes is the unnecessary Mumbaiya slang which doesn’t make any sense. Kriti Sanon plays an underground rebel warrior called Jassi. Her introduction scene is filled with a few  impressive stunts but soon she ends up being a mere girlfriend with little agency.

The love story between Guddu and Jassi is another sore point. Guddu’s flirting with Jassi is cringe worthy to say the least.

Amitabh Bachchan’s extended cameo is powerful and we wish that he had more screen time. Tamil actor Rahman makes a good Bollywood debut. He brings in much needed intensity to the story.

Another sore point is the shoddy graphics. They make Ganapath look like more of a video game than an actual film.

The fight sequences have been choreographed well but there is no novelty particularly for those who have seen Tiger do action before.

Characters from the ‘Garibon Ki basti’ feel like extras from the sets of Bahubali and KGF films. Their only job is to wait for the saviour to arrive.

To sum it up Ganapath is Vikas Bahl’s worst film till date. This movie makes Shaandar look like a masterpiece.

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Uunchai: Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara For The Older Generation

A delightful trek that is high on visuals and emotions

Uunchai (Hindi)            3.5 out of 5

Starcast: Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Danny Denzongpa, Sarika and others

Director: Sooraj R. Barjatya

Story: Sunil Gandhi

Producers: Kamal Kumar Barjatya, Mahaveer Jain and others

Production Company: Rajashri Productions

Music: Amit Trivedi

Genre: Adventure/drama

Running time: 2 hours and 53 minutes

Sooraj Barjatya is one of the most successful commercial directors of the 90’s. He made Salman Khan into an overnight star with Maine Pyar Kiya. For a long time Salman’s off screen persona was synonymous with his onscreen image of Prem, thanks to the way the director presented him in multiple films. Often times the director repeated himself with simplistic plots. It was mostly set around large families and half way through an unfortunate incident happened resulting in a deep divide. Inevitably the protagonist would set things right with his basic goodness. Even his last film Prem Rathan Dhan Payo ticked all the boxes of 90’s family dramas; the only difference being that PPDP was set in a princely state where monarchy still exists.

However with Uunchai the director attempts something different, and for most part manages to pull it off. Barjatya not only takes a few elements from Farhan and Zoya Akhtar’s mode of storytelling but also takes inspiration from Nag Ashwin’s directorial debut ‘Yevade Subramanyam’. The inspiration can be clearly seen in the mountain scenes in the second half.

The film opens with a group of three friends- Amit Srivastava (Amitabh Bachchan), Om (Anupam Kher) and Javed (Boman Irani). There is also Mala (Sarika). These four are on a trek to reach the EBC (Everest base camp). The tour guide is Shraddha Gupta (A grumpy Parineeti Chopra). From there we move to a flashback from two months ago. This flashback involves the trio’s close friend Bhupen (A delightful Danny Denzonpa). It is refreshing to see Danny in this small but important part. His presence is felt throughout the film. Bhupen’s biggest desire is to go on a trek to the base camp of Everest with his three friends. However the friends are reluctant and they don’t take it too seriously. But things take a turn for bad after the birthday of Bhupen. The next morning he dies of cardiac arrest, this in spite of Bhupen being the fittest among the four. Amit decides to fulfill Bhupen’s last wish.

Both Om and Javed feel that Amit is being mad. But Amit manages to convince them about the importance of fulfilling their friend’s wish. However it is a trek that comes with many hurdles, the chief one being the age bracket that this trio comes under. Also Javed’s wife Shabina (Neena Gupta) is a controlling woman who doesn’t let him go outside the city and Mount Everest is a far off thing.

The rest of the story is about whether the trio is able to fulfill the last wish of their friend or not. Along the way the film also gives some important life lessons. These include how parents aren’t always in the right and children are not always in the wrong. How marriage partners sometimes need a certain distance, and lastly how love often can succumb to worldly comforts. The last one is brought out through the character of Mala. She has an important connection to Bhupen.

For any friendship film to work, the most essential aspect is that no character should end up overshadowing the others. A major reason why a Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara or a Dil Chahta Hai works is due to the way the characters were written. As an audience you root for all the three protagonists.

Here too Sooraj Barjatya gives equal space to all of them and makes you empathize with all. All the three have their own inner battles and the director does a splendid job in portraying them. Uunchai also dwells into the importance of solitude and successfully showcases how certain battles are best fought alone.

The individual back stories have also been smartly used by Sooraj Barjatya. They come in when you least expect it. Case in point being how Mala is connected to Bhupen, or even Amit’s past with a woman called Abhilasha (Nafisa Ali in a graceful special appearance). These stories add to the impact of the film.

The dialogues written by Abhishek Dixit are mostly heartwarming, both in the situations involving the friends and also the husband and wife scenes between Boman Irani and Neena Gupta.

The cinematography by Manoj Kumar Khatoi is simply splendid. He deserves distinction marks for how he captures the mountains through his lens. The trekking scenes of Amit, Om and Javed give us lot of thrills. This thrill is further enhanced by the cinematographer.

Anupam Kher, Amitabh Bachchan and Boman Irani, none of the three veteran actors disappoints

The action and stunts by Sham Kaushal are filled with the right amount of tension. For example there is a scene in the second half where all of them have to cross a bridge with the weather at its worst. The audiences get the feeling that something tragic will happen to Amit in particular. However no damage happens and the weather does settle down.

Also read: Thank God: A fantasy ride that you won’t mind hopping on

Music by Amit Trivedi is also good. My favorite is the Keti Ko song which leaves you with a smile on your face.

Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher and Bomal Irani in a jovial dance sequence

Coming to the flaws the length of the film could have been easily trimmed down. The first half feels indulgent at certain places. The trek could have begun much earlier rather than leaving it to the second half.

Another issue with the film is the way the character of Parineeti has been written and performed. She spends most of her time either being exasperated or being angry with the senior citizens. There is an attempt at humanizing her but it comes across as rather labored.

Uunchai boasts of fantastic veteran actors and none of the seniors disappoint. Amitabh Bachchan is marvellous as Amit Srivastava. He captures all the nuances without missing a single beat. Amitabh’s brilliance can be particularly seen at a crucial juncture in the second half; in this important scene his character is revealed to have Alzheimers. Om and Javed scold Amit for hiding his condition and decide to go back. This is followed by Amit’s long dialogue where he talks about the purpose of this trip and how he is not backing down now. Amitabh Bachchan does a swell job in bringing out the emotions of Amit.

Sarika leaves solid impression in her part

Anupam Kher has been on a roll this year with a knockout performance in Kashmir Files. The actor also made a huge impression with his small role in the Telugu film Karthikeya 2. With Uunchai Anupam continues his golden form. He excels in both the lighter and emotional bits. It is a delight to see Anupam getting one meaty role after another. Boman Irani compliments Amitabh and Anupam wonderfully. He conveys a lot with his body language. Sarika and Neena Gupta are also very good. They leave a solid impression in their respective parts.

Final word: Uunchai is rich in both visuals and also emotions. A tighter edit would have made it even better. But still this is a delightful trek with the smashing veterans leading it.