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 ...
The title of this film cannot be more misleading. Not only was there no nudity wrt men (by which I mean , no frontal nude shots), the title itself had absolutely no relevance to the film. I took a break from watching gay films after the Philly film festival hoping that when I start watching movies again, I will pick the ones which will be meaningful, entertaining and relevant. This film clearly did not belong into any of these categories. I am hoping the results will be better next time.
Tibor is 49 year old aging writer married to a narcissistic actress who is out for work most of the time. One night he surprises himself by taking home an effeminate young street thug / hustler named Zsolt who comes out of nowhere and literally forces himself on Tibor. Always straight, there is something about Zsolt that he cannot resist and they start having an affair. Things start taking an awkward turn when his wife comes back. They need to find new places to meet. Because of this love, passion and secret affairs, a new creative spirit awakens in Tibor who starts writing o book on this. What Tibor doesn't realize is how risky is this whole thing filled with blackmails and someone who is just after money. His wife ultimately finds out the truth by reading his book and confronting him. Their sexual life is so bland that one day even she ends up cheating on him. For Zsolt, Tibor is just another guy whom he uses for money. The movie just abruptly ends as it started with Tibor and Zsolt's meeting.
The acting I would say was alright by the lead characters but things were just not explained right. The scenes would get randomly cut, the sub plots would be truncated randomly. And what was the whole point of those drug scenes in the so called 'red' flat where Tibor used to visit to meet Zsolt. If Zsolt was using Tibor for money and passion, how could he have been so idiotic and stupid o not realize what he was after. I feel that at some point even he wanted Zsolt to be with him since he had to finish his book and only Zsolt could keep his creative juices flowing.
It is a weird film. I would really not recommend this one. (3/10)
Comments
So many foreign films, at least from an American point of view (which, of course, does not set the cultural standard, it is only what I am used to), really don't make any sense to me, either because the culture may be so different from ours, or else there is just some kind mistranslation along the way. (French films OUTDO us, in my opinion, but many cultures with a less-developed experience of film-making fall far short.) So for films like this, I just shrug and enjoy the eye candy (my taste for eye candy).
That being said, I do think it is horrible and probably pretty sad and depressing, that there is such thing as "aging", particularly how it is experienced among gay people; where after a certain "prime" (what is the dividing line, age 40? maybe even earlier?), beauty and desirability fades completely to the culture at large, yet desire for that beauty (to be in relationship with it if one can't BE it directly) does not fade at all. It is quite easy for the unscrupulous to take advantage of that situation, as apparently happens in this film. I try to avoid seeing films like that if I know that is what is happening going into it. Ultimately, they are all just about misery and we gain nothing from seeing this kind of film.
You last comment is very interesting and deep. I agree with everything that you say but to an extent one who is taken advantage of is also to be blamed to a certain extent. That said, it is definitely very sad that it is thought beauty and desirability fades. I dont mind seeing such films. yes, the end is predictable but you never know, one day some director might decide to take it a different route..
Reminds me of the book 'Michael Tolliver lives' where he at 60 lives with a younger 30 year old guy and they are both happy with their arrangement.