Being Cyrus - A Movie Review

I am stuck in Germany where the only English TV channel available is BBC News where the code for the news ticker is written below:

for(i=2;i>1;i++)
{
Displaynews();
Waitfor10minutes();
}

Before you start looking for the comment field (you humans are hasty, as Treebeard would say), let me tell you what this has to do with a movie review. Everything, indeed. The only source of any entertainment is the Internet. But you can only browse so many sites till it becomes boring. then what? Movies. Aha.

With some trusty software, I now can download and watch some of the movies that I missed while I was in India. "Being Cyrus" was one of them.

My first impression is "what a classy, dark" movie. Although the plot seems to have been lifted from Hollywood [May the story writer forgive me if I insulted his intellience, but history...], the film surpassed my expections in every sense.

I knew Saif Ali Khan was a good actor, especially after Dil Chahta Hai and Hum Tum, but this film is a landmark in his career or a turning point in his career or "anyone of the most inappropriate cliches" as he would say in the movie.

His entire mind is opened to us, the grim reality staring us near the climax, where all your opinions about everyone in the movie turns. There are no "completely pure" heroes and heroines around, no song and dance routines, no dishum-dishum - just a terrifying look inside a dark mind. A mind that nevertheless seeks to understand its role in the world.

Boman Irani, as has become a habit with him, is outstanding. As Farookh Setna, he epitomises the thousands of men, with big ambitions but no talent, who think being loud and violent is an achievement!

Naseeruddin Shah, is slightly disappointing, although it is his role that is to blame. As a great artist who is lost in art and in his earlier glorious days, he is the only truly innocent character. Dimple Kapadia, as Katy or Katie (how does it matter!), is simply too good. Although she keeps complaining about Shah being dirty, it is she who is always scrtaching her itches, in more ways than one :). Her ambition to be someone (she only dreams of being great), and how that ambition is exploited is the plot.

If you thought I was going to tell you the plot as it is a movie review, let me tell you that I have re-defined the term. I promise though that this film will make you queasy, uneasy and thinky (ok, I made up that one!).

Not for the faint-hearted, this movie, especially for those who think the world is either white or black. There are many shades of grey in between and the various characters fall in those shades. Just everyone's selfish attempts to inject happiness into their otherwise miserable lives, but no one knowing the right path.

One thing I can say - Indian Cinema has genuinely matured. If anyone talks of Bollywood as revolving around Shahrukh Khan or Masala or whatever, watch this movie first.

Now, time to go to bed or rather as Mr. Setna or Cyrus would say, "Whatever be the result, the king and the pawn go back into the same box." Whatever I write and you read, we have to go to sleep at the end of the day. Ciao!

Psst: There is another review about a more cheerful movie coming up. So Cheer up!