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 ...
Ibo is a second generation Turkish in Berlin who just got his university degree, but is facing the fact that his name and face make it more difficult to get a job than those from White-German families. To make some extra cash, he works as a cashier in a gay sex shop. He has excellent relations with his family including his father. One day Ibo meets a blond con man Alexander and somehow can't get him out of his head. He soon finds out that he is a wrestler, which Ibo eventually joins. When Alexander is beaten up and has both his arms broken, he discovers that Ibo is one of the few friends he has who seems to care. An unlikely relationship starts between tough and straight Alexander and Ibo who has fallen madly in love with him. Ibo is madly infatuated with him but Alexander is macho straight man who wouldn't occasionally refuse a bj from Ibo. When Ibo's sister outs Ibo, he is kicked out of his family but his liberal uncle takes him in and give him the support he needs. Ibo finally gets over Alexander when he gets that the main is really straight and finds a new boyfriend in Lucas. But he can never forget Alexander. Alexander comes back in Ibo's life, apologizes and asks to be friends. In a happy and a positive finale, they may have to re-evaluate their relationship and figure out whether they can find something a bit more equal.
Besides the whole immigration angle, what is far more interesting is the relationship between Alexander and Ibo, which neither of them can deny has a homoerotic angle, despite the fact Alexander is insistent he’s straight. He knows Ibo is attracted to him, and a sexual dimension emerges, but at first Alexander thinks it’s just something he can use, but they both come to realize it’s something different to that. It also helps that the actors playing the roles have great chemistry on-screen. The start of the film felt a bit wanky and I wasn't sure of the acting but it grows on you eventually. It's a beautiful bromance, friendship & love and respect that eventually emerges for them. The writing is witty and the script very tight, as it is not a very long film. The story was sufficiently interesting to hold my attention for the full running time. There is no unneeded dialogue or scenes, it is tightly edited. The uncle's support also comes as a breath of fresh air for Ibo and works well in the film.
Overall sweet and entertaining. Tackling some important issues, the film is an enjoyable tale, with interesting characters and a very intriguing central relationship. (6/10)
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