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Straight - 2009 |
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Release Date: 06 March 2009
Producer: Shripal Morakhia, Charlotte Wontner
Director: Parvathi Balgopalan
Cast: Vinay Pathak, Gul Panag, Siddharth Makkar, Achla Sachdev, Daman Baggan, Ketaki Dave, Anuj Chaudhary, Rasik Dave
Synopsis: In the midst of central London, a successful Indian restaurant called 'Gaylord' is run by a Londoner of Indian origin called Pinu. A simple soul at heart, Pinu has many complexes - a special one being that he is a virgin and has experienced no intimacy with a woman. To top tha... Full Synopsis |
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| Movie Review |
Indian directors are suddenly getting very adventurous. Even a few years ago, one could not have imagined a Dostana. But now we even have Straight, where director Parvati Balagopalan tries to tackle the issue of alternate sexuality by bringing out in the open the two biggest bogeys of Indian men, one is their virginity, and the second, the fact that they are homophobic. And probably a third as well, where they are not sure which way they swing. Straight is a comic attempt to deal with these issues, through the character of its protagonist Pinu Patel, a businessman based in London.
Pinu (Vinay Pathak), runs a restaurant called Gaylord' in London, (pun intended), of course. Nearing middle age, poor Pinu is still a virgin as he was ditched by his bride at the altar and now is not even sure if he is gay or not, a thought which scares him. He has never quite recovered from his experience of being dumped and is generally in the doldrums. At his restaurant, he has a stand up comedian cum cook called Kamlesh (Anuj Chaudhary) and an attractive cashier, Renu, (Gul Panag), an art student from India. With the entry of these two, things at Gaylord and with its master start changing. Pinu discovers that he might just be gay after Kamlesh kisses him on the lips one day. It's a thought which throws him into despair. At the same time, even though he is desperate not to die a virgin, he does not really find himself attracted to the comely cashier that he has hired. He is caught in the horns of a dilemma and it takes some brotherly advice and a few encounters which finally settle the issue for him.
Director Parvati Balagopalan has a light touch as she deals with these issues in a breezy manner, coming up with a story that is funny and touching at places. The one who really keeps the interest of the viewers hooked is Vinay Pathak, who is the life and soul of the film. He excels in his portrayal of the angst ridden, confused Pinu. In fact, time and again, he has proved how he can easily go solo in a movie or if need be, become an integral part of an ensemble. In fact, one would not be exaggerating if one said that Vinay is the film's USP.
This is a film which is very dialogue driven as there are no external events that are happening. The matter in focus is relationships and there is lot that happens on that level between Pinu, Kamlesh and Renu. While the director makes a bold foray into virgin territory, there is a certain stagnation that happens in the plot and the movie seems a tad stretched and long winded. While the film seems to be very well intentioned, it seems to lack bite. The writing could have been much sharper and the jokes funnier.
Vinay, is great as always and leads from the front where performances are concerned. He is closely followed by Gul Panag, who has a very pleasing and likeable screen presence. She seems very apt for her part and acquits herself well. Anuj Chaudhary too is okay. Rasik and Ketaki Dave fulfill their reason for being in the movie and are good for a few laughs.
Despite moving into unchartered territory where Bollywood is concerned, the film does not really push the envelope enough, or at least not in a very convincing manner. The director seems to kind of skim the surface of an issue which could have done with some more in depth treatment. It is a movie, which begins well, but somehow does not carry that promise through right to the end. |
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