Inveterate mystery movie addict so decided to watch this immediately after seeing the word in the description. Nana Patekar’s a phenomenal actor. How bad could it be?
Pretty bad.
Not issuing a spoiler warning will save you time. The writers might as well have ended this limping and interminable whodunnit with “And then he woke up” to the same effect. It’s adapted from a play which I haven’t read.
What it really is, however, is a (many times hectoring) ultra-conservative commentary on parent-child relationships. The normative here is unhealthy and lopsided: parents and elders are to have no limits or boundaries in speech or action, and are to be obeyed and served immediately and without protest. Your plans for your life and career are inextricably tied to their whims and sanction, even when they’re a model of health. Pursuing your goals is tantamount to egregious neglect. At least in this universe, personal space, phone and video calls, regular visits, and healthy and respectful communication are poor substitutes to the obedience and groveling mandated by culture and tradition.
It’s an abandonment fantasy for affluent 65+ Indian parents, essentially that curse of a movie Baghban wrapped in a threadbare and dogshit ‘mystery’.
Patekar’s still got it though 💯