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 ...
Veer and Mansi meet at a low key LGBT party. Veer left his fiancé realizing that he can't go on lying about his sexuality. He is in love with his best friend who lives in Delhi (who also happens to be married to a woman because of social pressure). Mansi has also run away form home because of marriage pressure. Her lover lives in Delhi and she decides to go live with her, but turns out she is on a family trip to McLeodgunj. Mansi decides to take a road trip to surprise her and Veer also joins in as her chauffeur, but also since he desperately needs a break after his lover decided that he can't be out socially to be with him. Here starts a road trip of self discovery and revelations. They both realize they enjoy each other's company. When Mansi finally meets her girlfriend, she also cannot make a move because of her parents pressure. Dejected Mansi and Veer decide that this society will not let them be who they really are and maybe they can live together. In a twist of events, Mansi's girlfriend comes around but Veer's future is not that bright.
The story of a lonely and single gay man and a lesbian girl going on a road trip could have been filled with lot of fun elements but here the film's biggest flaw is the pace. It moves very slowly, clearly beach there isn't much to say. The actor south their dialogues so slowly that no one in normal life talks like it. It's like they have all the time in the world and they are enunciating every single word. It started to get on my nerves. The film is also filled with stereotypes. Mansi's parents tell their friend she always wore pants as a child, she is shown to be carefree and messy. Veer on the other hand is quiet, shy guy who happens to be a cleanliness freak. The climax also comes out of nowhere and just doesn't go well with the overall theme of the film. The characters have a back story but its very one-dimensional. Also the way Veer just blurts out the truth about his lover to his wife, was just not done. That was very insensitive and cold. Equally, Mansi’s reconciliation with her parents feels sudden and unearned. On a bright side, the film is shot beautifully in some very calm natural surroundings. It explores notions of self-assertion, platonic love and charting one’s own destiny, a subject that is not very common in Indian films.
Overall, the film ends up being dull and boring and lethargic after a point. You want to play it at double the speed, because trust me you won't miss out on anything. (3.5/10)
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