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 ...
14 year old Gaurav is very close to 18-year old brother Mihir, who happens to be the basketball captain. IN fact Gaurav idolizes him for everything and dreams of following his footsteps. We see that they belong to an upper class family who are supposedly very liberal. Things suddenly change when Gaurav accidentally finds out that Mihir is gay and walks in on his brother and his partner Varun. Gaurav fails to understand what's happening and despite repeated attempts from Mihir, he doesn't talk to him. This event leads Mihir to come out to his parents, which makes his girlfriend initially upset but she comes to terms with it. Eventually when Mihir comes out to his parents, hell breaks loose and they show deep down they are as regressive as any other family would be. When Gaurav's relationships start to get strained even with his friends because of this, he confides in his best friend. The only people who understand and support Mihir are his friends. After a bit dramatic finale, Gaurav finally is able to understand that school is all about identifying yourself & getting to know yourself and everything that Mihir is doing is ok and he finally goes and hugs his brother before the bog basketball match.
The film starts off really well where we are shown the kind of relationship Gaurav and Mihir share, not just with each other; but with their parents and in fact even with their friends. They gone drives, drink occasionally and generally seem like a very liberal family. So its shocking for everyone when everyone in the family reacts so negative. Thankfully Mihir is not ashamed of who he is. He is finally just coming to terms with it. One of my favorite scene is when he tells his girlfriend on how everyone in society will come and tell him that its a phase and things will get alright. The real star of the film is Gaurav. As the younger brother who idolizes his brother, likes a girl, is a singer, guitarist and even has pain in his eyes for his brother, the actor fits in the role perfectly. The last 15 minutes seemed too dramatic and filmy and I wish there was a little more conclusion to Mihir's story. Also, a little more focus on the changing family dynamic, and its eventual outcome would have done this film a world of good. Themes of being gay, being young, being confused, and wanting support and understanding are not something that are easily handled by Indian cinema. It’s great that these issues are being taken up at least now. I am surprised it took me 5 years to watch this film. I just didn't expect it to be decent but it really surprised me and thankfully the film wasn't stretched at all.
TimeOut may not have a hard-hitting story but it does make you think. It's not a classic by any means but this is a film with a young heart and an open mind. (5.5/10)
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