I Want to Talk

My admiration for cancer survivors knows no bounds; their indomitable spirit, unwavering determination to never give up serves as a source of inspiration.

And I feel director Shoojit Sircar has captured their struggles with remarkable sincerity here.

Arjun's journey of grappling with his recent diagnosis, his tumultuous relationship with his daughter, and his on-going conflict between his will to fight and temptation to surrender once and for all are poignantly showcased.

The portrayal of a man in anguish is executed with the necessary depth and empathy.

While the frequent medical terminology and discussions surrounding surgeries may seem overwhelming to some, those who appreciate slow-paced, hard-hitting dramas will find this narrative resonates deeply.

Moreover, Abhishek has invested his soul into this role. I have always believed that he was a remarkable talent when paired with a fitting script, and he has once again validated my opinions on him.

A universal uplifting story of a father and daughter pair facing unexpected life challenges, the struggle against all odds, the symbiotic passion for life, and finally, the victory of the indomitable human spirit.

Armed with an IIT degree from India, and an MBA from a top US school, dynamic and ruthless young Arjun Sen chases the American dream, while struggling as a single father. Hit by an unexpected potentially life-threatening illness, he fights death across decades on its own terms supported by his daughter portrayed well by Ahilya Bumroo.

Portrayed brilliantly by Abhishek Bachchan at his best who has matured as an actor (like wine) to portray the complex and brilliant real-life Arjun Sen. A story of and for everyone directed by the inimitable Award winning Shoojit Sorcar who has given us excellent heart-tugging movies like Piku, Pink, and Gulabo Sitabo.

Shoojit Sircar once again concocts a beautifully moving drama with Abhishek Bachchan delivering one of his finest performances to date. The film takes a short while to draw you into its dramatic, often humourous, occasionally guilt-ridden, frequently painful, surgery-filled universe. But once you're in, there's no turning back. The ride that Arjun Sen, the true-blue marketer takes you on, is poignant and hard-hitting. At its core, the film is a drama that's primarily told from Arjun's perspective, replete with interestingly philosophic, pun-filled voiceovers.

But the world that Arjun lives in, is full of equally fascinating characters. His daughter Reya (played by Ahilya Bamroo, with Pearle Dey playing the child version), Dr. Jayant (Jayant Kripalani), adorable nurse Nancy (Kristin Goddard), caretaker Johnny (Johnny Lever) all have key roles to play. They're all so well-written (Ritesh Shah's the screenwriter) and performed. Taba Chake's music is at once soothing and soul-stirring. DoP Avik Mukhopadhyay candidly captures Arjun's life, including his physical and mental transformations. Bachchan Jr gives it his all, in a superb performance that needs larger discussion.

I feel sad for Bollywood - they don't even want to appreciate some of their greatest storytellers. Can Shoojit Sircar come over to Malayalam and work with some of our finest? 2024 just wasn't the year for several content-driven filmmakers in Bollywood-Vasan Bala (wasn't a big fan of Jigra but still), Dibakar Banerjee (did not watch LSD 2), Shoojit Sircar (case in point), plus an honorable mention to Anurag Kashyap who has apparently decided to move on from Bollywood. The fault is on the larger Hindi-speaking audiences for not supporting them, especially in theatres.

Right off the bat, one thing is undeniable. The film is quite slow paced. The movie mimics life it, doesn't boast of extraordinary vantage point views or sudden twists or out of the blue drama where things seem magical. We see a life flowing in colours though faint and hard to appreciate through every shade in the spectrum. The movie gives a pretty normalistic view of the life in the eyes of the protagonist and how things are unfair yet beatable through sheer will.

This movie has its own audience and it's not for the people who seek story with twists and turns with fantastical elements which are non-lifelike.

But this is for the people who are pushed to their boundaries of the personal comfort zone and are seeking some relief in the silence between the lines which are loud for the right audience.

Shoojit remains a master of his craft, in creating characters and telling a story, the setting in USA is apt (later learned it was based on true story) and understated feel gives time to enjoy ,and soak the story ....There is no preachy mess...deserves a rewatch and will evoke many memories and true conversations ..... Abhishek does full justice and the girl who played is daughter is equally good...seeing on the big screen adds to its effect and also having slightly less audience somehow added to the silence and sounds ....it will also have a good international run ...Shoojit , Abhishek and team deserve kudos.