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 ...
Sebastian is befriended by fellow dancer Arsenio at ballet auditions. They initially laugh off their obvious mutual attraction, but soon become a fully loved-up couple, pushing each other as performers and even start living together. When the new choreographer Mikael arrives, demanding obedience and perfection; he starts to push everyone's boundaries and starts to make changes. He also has a reputation for liking young boys. The attention he pays to Sebastian begins to make Arsenio jealous, for good reason. Arsenio's close friend who also secretly liked him was the lead dancer whom Mikael fires. The duo decide to sleep with the teacher in hopes that maybe one of them can get the lead part. But the teacher has his eyes on Sebastian, maybe because of his talent or maybe looks. When Sebastian is announced as the lead dancer, limits are pushed where starting from his boyfriend Arsenio, every male dancer starts to get jealous of Sebastian, leading to badly beating him up just before opening night, so that Arsenio can take his position.
In the beginning, the two main characters play as a cute couple oblivious to the pressures around them and do a reasonable job. But its he arrival of new teacher creates this jealousy between them. As things heat up, Sebastian and Arsenio promise not to let things at work interfere with their relationship. But of course they do, in rather harrowing ways. This is an intriguing exploration of the tension between personal and professional lives, as well as more insidious things like abusive behaviour of people in power. You see how the new teacher totally uses his position of power to exploit young men. As Mikael mistreats Arsenio, and Arsenio alienates the company against Sebastián, Sebastián develops a kind of Stockholm Syndrome with Mikael and gives in into his sexual demands. As actors Sebastian stands out, covering both the innocence and ambition he harbors. He gazes intensely at Arsenio whom he alternately loves and loathes and looks at Mikael with puppy-dog eyes. And of course the dancing, which is true for Arsenio as well. Mikael as the lusty teacher does a good job for making audiences uncomfortable with his presence and gaze. Overall the film had a good subject, but at many places the execution felt amateurish. What this project needed was more depth and more connection of the characters with the audience which was solely missing for me. (4.5/10)
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