JUST LIKE LIFE....

Its great that Farhan Akhtar is coming as an actor when Bollywood is coming of age as far as movie making is concerned. A decade ago films like Rock On and Luck by Chance wouldn’t have stood a chance. He is not a conventional ‘hero’ (watch him in the romantic song in Luck by Chance and you can see how uncomfortable and unsuited he is to be a typical bollywood hero) and in LBC this is probably what works in his favour. He is someone who probably every struggler can connect with. He impressed pretty much in Rock On and here too he is dependably good. There is a terrific scene when one of his friends, slightly inebriated, says a few rude things and he walks out in anger and then his heartbreaking display of anger and pain is as much a celebration of his acting skills as it is of the way the scene is written to be so beautifully authentic. Not over the top, just right. Just like life.

SPOILER ALERT:

Some of the scenes I loved.

1) A over the top acting coach tells his students to overact… and for the graduation he has Mac Mohan (Samba from Sholay) as chief guest who is asked to repeat his most famous dialogue "Poore Dus Hazaar". This scene is both funny and sad and its terrific and sporting of MacMohan to have done this cameo. It both celebrates and yet demeans him.

2) A surprising good Sanjay Kapoor repeating the line “Arre hum bhi toh actor reh chuke hain”. You can't guess how much of it is acting and how much is real. A real surprise. Maybe he has a future as a character actor after all.

3) The cameos by the stars are so well done that from the initial gimmick it turns into an absorbing watch. Almost like tagging along with a famous star and getting to see their side of the world.

4) Hrithik. Not my favourite but here he is pitch perfect and perfectly vague. You don’t know if he is arrogant, spoilt, egotistical, insecure, childish… Again just like life.

5) The intimate scenes. Again, I guess in a sign of how grown up Bollywood has become, sex between the characters isn’t a big deal. Its not hidden nor highlighted. Again just like Life. Or as it should be. Even the relationships between the 3 roommates is beautifully underplayed. There is obviously some underlying sexual tension there but again its not sensationalised. Just let be.

6) Rishi Kapoor. Always a brilliant actor here he starts of initially as over the top and then adds so many subtle layers that he almost seems like the hero of his movie. And terriby funny.

7) And the heroine. Dimple. Looking stunning and chewing up every scene she appears in, she shows what experience is all about. She plays a rich, sophisticated, famous actress but watch her spit venom at the editor of a magazine and you know her roots are actually quite street level. She states the same in later scene but that 1 scene is all it takes to let you know her true roots. Brilliant. And the way she looks even now, it’s a wonder why we don’t have our version of The Graduate yet. Dimple and Ranbir. Now that would be a pairing.

8) Konkona has become so natural that sometimes it gets easy to overlook her. Beautifully underplayed, her role is so familiar she almost seems like someone we know. Just like Life. P.S. The long end scene (very Michael Clayton) where Konkona’s face is so expressive there for so long. Cant have been easy.

9) The opening montage. Sets the tone of the movie beautifully. Feels like you been on a tour of the studios in Bombay.

10) Farhan Akhtar is absolutely natural (except for the song scene). A very nuanced performance and he seems to be getting very comfortable in his skin.

Not the best movie of the year but worth your ticket price and maybe a few popcorns too.

Enjoy

Vish