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 ...
Jose, now in his 50's live alone as a magician. The film starts in 30s in Granada when he is barely a teenager. He had a secret love Pedro, son of owners of the big house where his father used to work. Somehow he is not able to forget his memories even after all these years. He decides to visit his old village, relive some of those memories and also meet his idol a poet, who apparently was also Pedro's lover. Back in present life, Jose has Miguel, a budding politician as his lover, who finds it more convenient in Madrid's high society to marry than assert his homosexuality and meets Jose only as per his convenience. We also have a neighborhood lady, who has been friend with him forever and some weird sexual tension from her young adult son for Jose although thankfully no one ever acts on it. The ending is a bit weird for me, where tormented by his past and recent trip to his village, he desires nothing more than to face the rest of his life in loneliness, although his recent lover, Miguel has returned to his bed and wants to continue their affair. José realizes that he is really all alone in their world, alone with his God.
The lead actor of this film doesn't the most incredible job of portraying the loneliness and isolation of a character yearning to escape his limitations while equally determined to face the truth of his life, past and present and its eventual ending. He has fallen in love maybe a few times but can never seem to forget the first love Pedro when he was barely a teenager. It was interesting when he makes a statement that it was never clear on who was seducing whom at that point. He is a caring man which is very evident with all the people in his life, but love is something that has evaded him always. Also the times and society never allowed him to be completely himself and be open his sexuality. Eventually he has decided to face the inadvertent reality of loneliness and harsh reality of aging. This is one concept that many people maybe able to relate even today. Even thought the film may not be saying anything specific, but something about it stayed with me. The premise, the acting, the Spain of the 70s and just emotionally what the protagonist is going through and how he has surrendered to the prospect of a lifetime of loneliness when incomes to companionship, a trait that I can personally connect to very well. (6/10)
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