Film: Sorry Bhai!
Banner: Puja Films, Anticlock Films, Mumbai Mantra
Producer: Vashu Bhagnani, Onir
Director: Onir
Cast: Shabana Azmi, Boman Iranai, Chitrangada Singh, Sanjay Suri and Sharman Joshi
Rating: 2.5/5
Unconventional, pleasurable and quirky are three words that describe Onir’s film Sorry Bhai. It’s not filled with your over-the-top, regular characters and their magic moments. Instead, it’s an exploration of a scary thought that is overtly possible.
Separated from family and residing in sun-drenched Mauritius, Harshvardhan (Sanjay Suri) is all set to get married to the love of his life Aliah (Chitrangada Singh). Calling back home to give them the good news and inviting them for the wedding, he is met with resistance from his diet-conscious oddball mother (Shabana Azmi). But with a promise made by his brother Siddharth (Sharman Joshi), the family is off to Mauritius to attend the wedding. A few interactions later Aliah discovers she has found love not in Harshvardhan but Siddharth instead. With the love reciprocated, it’s a matter of breaking it to the family and above all, Harshvardhan. In other words Sorry Bhai is all about the eccentric characters, forbidden love and relationships galore.
Undoubtedly the film in its concept is fantastic. It’s fresh, fun and most importantly well treated; and that is a delight. There is a sense of realism in the film and without going overboard or treating it with overdramatized emotions, the film flows naturally, providing the cinema experience at the same time. The characters in the film are well chalked out and have in them the right kind of depth, enough to make them enjoyable. In particular the chemistry between Irani and Azmi would have not worked had it not been for the defined characters.
The witty dialogues with a punch of realism work seemingly well for the film. Small moments are well highlighted and those are the ones you walk out remembering. For example, watch the scene where Sharman comes back home dejected, while Azmi and Irani are at the table munching. Or watch the scene where the two are taking a walk on the promenade filled with lovers. It is familial moments like these that touch your heart and make you smile. The film is filled with it.
That brings us to the setbacks in the film. For starters the film is so filled with the amazing chemistry of Azmi and Irani that everything else seems petty. Though the film is about Suri, Joshi and their lady love Singh, you enjoy watching Irani and Azmi more. Even technically the film is not that proficient. The film’s pace does seem a tad bit slow and the conceptually brilliant film could have done with some good editing. The scissors have not been used well and the slickness the film deserves is given a skip. The film is filled with great music, which only finds itself playing on a few occasions. Another aspect is the fact that while the film does seem realistic, a lot many scenes seem constructed; thus in effect breaking the mould of semi-realism.
The director has certainly extracted brilliant performances from his actors. Azmi once again delivers a brilliant performance. She portrays the eccentricity of her character with the same ease as she displays the motherly instinct. Irani too is great, watch the scene where he lashes out on Azmi. The scene is certainly worth a praise. Singh is elegant and infuses depth into her character, but then the magic she carries around seems missing at points in the film. Suri too does a good job, more than defining his character through his lines he manages to do it with his body language. Joshi is praiseworthy; he essays his role with élan. However, having seen him do comedy and his perfect fit into that mould, it is difficult to digest him perform a role such as this. With this film, the world is to take notice of his capability as an actor.
Sorry Bhai is certainly a film worth watching.
