This Hindi movie is a pretty straightforward slice-of-life story that tries to give a modern look at what it's like to be a single, professional gay man. It dives into how he understands who he is, the chances he missed out on, and the personal choices he’s made along the way. The director used three parallel timelines to tell the story, which honestly didn't make much sense to me. While the core idea was actually pretty interesting, I really feel like this would have worked way better as a short film considering the point it was trying to make. Still, it wasn't a bad watch. The plot centers on Rachit, a city professional, and his friend Shikhar as they hang out for an evening. Rachit is a polished, urban guy, while Shikhar has more of a "small-town" rustic vibe, and you can really see the contrast between them when they talk. As the night goes on, Rachit starts thinking back to some old memories from a long time ago. He remembers being an intern after college in ...
A young 20 year old guy RJ Smith is sent away from home to perform his mission and spread the good Mormon word as part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. RJ ends up getting paired with Chris, a more experienced missionary, who becomes both a mentor and a friend to RJ. The two of them together give us a glimpse into the everyday routine of a missionary, getting up early, studying, praying, spreading the word. As RJ begins to learn the ropes and gain confidence, we see Chris having doubts in his beliefs. In the crisis of faith, we begin to see the real Chris as he becomes increasingly dismissive of his missionary responsibilities and bolder in matters of the heart. One thing leads to another and next thing we know is that The 2 men fall in love with each other. When they go for a second visit with a military man back from Iraq, we see the 2 men slowly loosening up. That whole scene is amazing where they even try drugs and do not hide their love for each other. Things take turn when they are discovered in bed by an elder. Eventually, the relationship between RJ and Chris comes to a head as they are forced to deal with their new perceptions, of themselves and of their religion, community, and family members, which they know do not deal well with “people like them”.
Comparisons with Latter Days are inevitable but it was very refreshing to see that the movie had not much in common with the former and could really stand on its own. The film was probably made on a shoe string budget but that did not stop the two lead actors from giving in a very good performance. The movie runs and unfolds at an even pace which some viewers may think of as slow but because the makers wanted to focus on what rely goes in an everyday life of a missionary, i guess it was necessary. I am glad I saw the film. It wasn't ground breaking but it wasn't bad either. The supporting actors were all ok as well. There was humor thrown in as well with the whole war veteran guy.
Overall, keep expectations low and you may actually enjoy this film. (6.5/10)
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