When truth makes an appearance once in a while, you wake up and wish things were normal again. But is everything normal just an illusion?
Rajat Kapoor's Mithya raises several questions about what is truth and yes, what moviemaking is all about. A very talented sophisticate, Rajat Kapoor won critical acclaim with this movie. Though I thought, he is a bit over-rated as a director by popular media. Just starting jitters may be! Only time will tell.
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Mithya is a dark comedy; comedy dries up in the second half and the darkness is not chilling enough. But the movie is still a gem, with an unprecedented depth and conviction beyond compare.
Ranvir Shorey is VK, a struggling actor playing bit roles and always praying for something higher. A sudden turn of events lands him into the role of his life, though it is off-screen and fraught with danger. Pushed into becoming a real life duplicate of a mafia kingpin, he accidentally finds love in contrasting forms - an accomplice in the drama that makes his life a mockery, and a family that answers to his emotional needs. But only one of them is real, and the other is an illusion.
VK takes the place of the real don when he's killed, but unknown to everyone including the don's family. A fateful loss of memory makes him believe he's the real don. But when the truth comes out, hell breaks loose around him. His real love tries to bring him out of the Mithya, he refuses to accept it; whether he remembers or not, he cannot turn back time and undo the reality. But is there an escape route? If there is, is that the best escape? No, the movie doesn't deal with it in dialogue, but it deals with it all the same and I left the hall wondering if the answer is right. Ranvir turns out his emotional best to capture the sympathy of the viewer, but the pace of the movie hurts his performance towards the end.
I'm sure Rajat Kapoor calls it a love story, but fails to execute that part too well. Only a discerning viewer would find that thin, elusive thread of love and follow it till it reaches its conclusion. When VK finally remembers what he lost in the maze, and cries out the name he's forgotten, the love story finds itself a meaning. However, it is time for the titles to come and feel sorry that the movie could have been more maturely made.
There is enough comedy that makes one laugh, but the tragedy isn't moving enough to make one cry. Background score is definitely a reason, but the director's inexperience is the main culprit. Editing is pathetic and that says it all. I'm not saying it is a bad movie - it definitely isn't! But it isn't captivating enough to do justice to the plot.
All in all, it is still a wonderful effort by all the actors (including Neha Dhupia) and the director Rajat. Movies of this kind reflect much more than what is on screen. They are moving commentaries by the maker; philosophies and beliefs brought alive through characters; seldom made to entertain. Oliver Stone and Martin Scorcese come to mind immediately when I say that.
I could see Arindham Chaudhary behind the hype and the Search Engine Optimisation the movie achieved. But critical acclaim? Yeah, that the movie achieved on its own. Yes, watch it, and remember that mithya is more powerful than reality; but reality, it always catches up in the end!
