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 ...
Konno, is a single (gay) man in his early 30s, is quiet, introvert. He is content in his monotonous life and daily routine at his work. Things change when he meets his co worker Hiasa, a rebellious guy. A man shrouded in mystery who doesn’t seem to have much regard for societal conventions. The duo start to bond over drinks and fishing. You can tell that Konno desires Hiasa but you see no such thing form him. One day Konno is shocked to discover that Hiasa suddenly quit his job at the company one day. The two of them don't stay in touch afterwards, and Konno falls back to an ordinary routine of solitude. A year later Hiasa suddenly shows up at his doorstep talking about his new sales job and they rekindle their friendship. That night while drinking, Konno kisses Hiasa but is rejected. Next day Hiasa pretends as if nothing happened. To meet his sales quota he signs up Konno. However slowly, Konno realizes that he is being exploited by his friend Hiasa and gets into a passive argument within and severing his ties. Few months later a massive earthquake hits and many people are missing. Konno's colleague thinks that Hiasa maybe dead and tells her how she had loaned money to him and now he is missing. Konno starts his journey of finding the man. But the more he searches and meets his family, the more deeper secrets and lies he finds out about Hiasa. The film ends a few years later with Konno having moved on, though memories of past linger but he ha s anew boyfriend now.
Despite some amazing performances in the film, the two-hour runtime, feels like an eternity, flitting between mild mystery and unremarkable mood piece. The pacing seems stunted, the exposition over-long, and the overall impact of the film is overwhelmingly disappointing. The story is dark and broody and something that many individuals will have their own interpretation. We have seen many stories of loneliness, in this case a shy introvert gay man, who probably has resigned to fact the will have no friends or companion. Things change when Hiasa comes to picture but even then nothing really happens. We see the friends ending for like an hour without much happening. I was extremely disappointed that besides that kiss, There his nothing queer or gay about the film. This movie is overwhelmingly driven by grief, despair, and heartbreak (irrespective of sexuality). Had the focus been more on the longing ness or the love or something more, I would have found myself being slightly more invested in the film, but as it stands now, despite the luscious landscapes and the queer subtext, the film failed to hold my complete attention. (4/10)
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