Thai Massage is almost another 'Badhaai Ho' for Gajraj Rao, with the core idea of the movie being a taboo but relevant issue. From the messaging aspect, one can say that the movie has its heart in the right place, but as far as execution is concerned I would say that it's a mixed bag. 'Thai Massage' is entertaining in parts but also quite dull at certain points. Even at two hours, the movie feels a little long but looking at the supporting characters and their underdeveloped subplots, one feels as if the director wanted to make a much longer film, perhaps a series!
It was wonderful to see a movie being made with the protagonist being a sixty year old man, a genuinely bold move made by the creators of the film. Gajraj Rao is a terrific actor and has done a beautiful job of shouldering the responsibility of carrying the entire film. It's just shocking to realize, that an actor like him who gives a nuanced performance every single time, has been around for more than 25 years but it's only now that people are noticing his talent.
I was quite surprised to see Divyendu Sharma portraying an extremely underwritten role in this film. Divyendu is an amazingly talented actor and by now quite a few people are aware of him thanks to 'Mirzapur', so it felt a little odd to see him play the role of Santulan in this film. Divyendu has acted very well in this film, but it never became clear as to why he was doing what he was doing in the movie. At certain points it felt like he was trying to make a fool out of Atmaram, but then he was also genuinely concerned for him and provided him with help at every single point. Also, there was something going on in his personal life with his wife as well, but that topic was just briefly mentioned and then brushed under the carpet before being brought back right at the end of the film.
The writing of the film is quite inconsistent especially with regards to the supporting characters, and you get the sense that the writer had a lot of ideas but couldn't really fit them all in the screenplay. There is also a subplot of Atmaram and his son's, but that also remained underdeveloped. Sunny Hinduja gets a monologue towards the end, which was beautiful but it felt rushed and not organic. The role of Atmaram's daughter-in-law has been played by Anurita Jha, an extremely underrated talent of our film industry, but the writer has given her nothing. There were certain scenes in which I felt that there would be a reaction from her side, but there was nothing; unfortunately she is pretty much a cardboard character in this film.
Alina Zasobina gets a decent amount of screen time in the final hour of the film and has done a pretty good job in portraying the vivacious as well as serious side of Rita. Alina, who has a charming screen presence, not only adds flavour to Atmaram's life but also to the proceedings. Although I loved the messaging of the film and I completely agree that it makes no sense to confine the lives of our elders and expect them to remain forever within the boundaries created by our own regressive mindset, but a part of me also wanted Rita to make a comeback in Atmaram's life; I feel that would have been a happier ending for Atmaram.
Music of the film composed by Amit Trivedi and Joi Barua is quite good, with 'Boom Boom' composed by Amit Trivedi being the stand out song of the album. Sung by Sharvi Yadav and Nikhita Gandhi and written by Irshad Kamil, 'Boom Boom' has been picturized very well and has a lot of repeat value.
In conclusion, 'Thai Massage' may not be able to satisfy you completely, but it won't disappoint you entirely as well.
