Straight

Parvati Balagopalan's 'Straight' is an okay fare, that needed a better script. But there is something unmissable in this rather under-rated film, that is, Vinay Pathak. The Talented Actor pitches in a delightful central performance, that rises above the material & turns out to be its biggest merit.

'Straight' Synopsis: After being rejected by women, a restaurant-owner attempts to deal with homosexuality.

To be honest, 'Straight' does work, but only in the second-hour. The first-hour is slow-paced & very uninspiring. The actual excitement begins in the second-hour, which I must say, does engage. The Screenplay, overall, is flawed. The journey of its confused protagonist needed more pace & definitely more humor. Parvati Balagopalan's Direction is well-done. Cinematography, Editing & Art Design, are passable.

Performance-Wise: Its a Vinay Pathak show all the way. He never fails to deliver & keeps you hooked even when the script falters. He's the lifeline of the enterprise. Gul Panag is decent, as always. Siddhartha Makkar delivers confidently.

On the whole, 'Straight' may not boast a particularly engaging story, but it does offer one of Vinay Pathak's Best Performances!

I was very impressed by Parvati Balagopalan's 'Straight'. Set mostly in London, the story centres around a British Indian but this is nothing like the usual saccharine NRI love story that Yashraj production has churned out every year by contributing to the pollution of Hindi cinema. Given the main theme revolving around a man who is confused about his sexuality, who experiences a clash between Indian tradition and a rather open English culture, the story had to be set outside of India. Sexuality is an important theme but unlike many Hindi films, 'Straight' does not mock homosexuality. The movie is given a refreshing treatment. The film has heart and it is told beautifully and with sincerity. The execution is first rate. The editing, lighting, cinematography and art direction are brilliant. Sagar Desai's music flows beautifully with the story. Balagopalan proves to be a promising director and I would be looking forward to her forthcoming projects. In my books, Vinay Pathak can do no wrong and once again, he carried an entire film. This man's incredible talent never fails to amaze me. Gul Panag is excellent. I was in love with her character Renu and I loved that she did the movie and how she played the part. This actress deserves more recognition. Anuj Choudhry is likable and Sid Makkar adds some comic relief. Ketki Dave is hilarious as always. 'Straight' is both thought-provoking and immensely entertaining. In my humble opinion, it is the best Hindi film of 2009 so far.

What can be said about this? Well! For one thing is that it is almost on the same line as "Dostana" as it deals with a similar theme and it is also a good comedy which deals with one man who seems to think that he is gay when he hires a man and a female to work in his famous restaurant after being rejected.

Starring Vinay Pathak, Gul Panag, Ketki Dave, Rasik Dave, Siddharth Makkar, Anuj Choudhary and Achla Sachdev, written by Anahata and is based on the story by Uttam Gada and is directed by Parvati Balagopalan.

We last saw Vinay Pathak as Shahrukh Khan's friend and stylist in "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi," but here he has performed rather well in the role of a main character and has gone on to show his versatility, supported by Ketki Dave, who, many will remember from Balaji TV series, "Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi's" "Daksha" and who also made a brief appearance as Saif Ali Khan's mother in "Kal Ho Naa Ho." And what can possibly go wrong with such two comic actors, who are well supported by the others and in particular Achla Sachdev and Siddharth Makkar and Anuj Choudhary, who have also performed well! This did and was bound to lead to some hilarious scenes, which many may consider as of "adult" nature but on the whole they are decent and clean. But with Rasik Dave and Gul Panag, I felt could have done more, as they seemed to be put onto one side of the movie, but it could have made it a bit more interesting if this had not been the case.

Parvati Balagopalan, the director, has handled this comedy and the subject well. But on the whole, this movie is worth watching once but some may think it appropriate not to do so with their kids.

At the outset I must confess that this movie is highly under-rated and so to speak deserves a little bit more of attention. Sad to see that it got lost in incognito.

Yes, its a romantic comedy made extremely well and can safely be watched once.

Performances::

* Vinay Pathak:: Seriously this guy needs no intros. He is just spot-on.

* Gul Panag:: For starters, your wardrobe needs a makeover big time. Her look was completely out of sync. Perhaps she got away looking gorgeous by the "mirror-mirror-on-the-wall" but it wasn't quite camera friendly! And apparently she is desperately attempting to break the "miss-goody- two-shoes" image with the choice of the characters she is undertaking.

* Anuj Chowdhary:: Now one can confidently say that he stands tall to a heavy-weight like Vinay Pathak. Very much likable character and Anuj manages to pulls off the role to the utmost perfection. Another Ranvir Shorey in making, perhaps yes!

* Siddharth Makkar:: Deserves brownie for this near-authentic look and accent. Indeed very good hard-work there.

* Others do their part as per the demands.

Going by the demands of the content, the movie is aptly based in London and the spirit is very well captured. Cinematography is of high standards and very much comparable to the likes of stalwarts viz. P C Sreeram/ Ravi Chandran.

The screenplay is written and executed extremely well ensuring it binds the viewers at all times.

The plot could have been completely linear. Jumping back and forth didn't seem quite right. Also the opening credits could have been more bland as opposed to the existing sci-fi touch.

Special mention is deserved for the director Parvati Balagopalan who handles the reigns quite efficiently.

Finally at the risk of being repetitive, should have been given more publicity - at the bare minimum it would fared better at the box-office in UK.