Click to play videoCast: Vinay Pathak, Gul Panag
Direction: Parvati Balagopalan
Straight, directed by Parvati Balagopalan, is a confused film. More confused in fact than its protagonist Pinu Patel, a thirty-something virgin who can't tell if he's gay or straight.
Vinay Pathak plays Pinu, a restaurant owner in London who isn't having much luck in the arranged marriage market. When a male friend of his lands an excited kiss on him after winning a lottery, Pinu begins to wonder if he might be gay after all.
In Vinay Pathak, Hindi cinema has found a brave uninhibited actor who isn't afraid of playing tricky parts. In Straight, Vinay goes where few leading men have gone before – he plays a sexually confused man who thinks he might be gay because he has an erotic fantasy about a male friend; he also can't 'rise to the occasion' when he's in the company of at least two very willing women. I can't imagine any Bollywood star accepting such a role. Which is why Vinay Pathak is something of an endangered species. Which is why he deserves good films to showcase his smarts.
Straight, by the way, is not a very good film.
There is a germ of an interesting idea there, but the script fails to exploit it effectively, and the director clearly lacks the skills required to turn that idea into an engaging film.
The gay angle, for example, is abandoned prematurely without tying up loose ends, and the film swiftly moves into broad comedy mode and subsequently into predictable romance.
As it stands, Straight is not an unwatchable movie. But what could have been a fearless, edgy film, is ultimately only a half-decent enterprise because it shies away from taking a stand, and cops out with an all-to-safe ending.
Gul Panag is endearing as Pinu Patel's accountant Renu, even though she has little enough to work with; and newcomer Anuj Choudhary who plays the new cook at Pinu's restaurant has an easy presence. But it's Vinay Pathak who's easily the best thing about this film, often rising above the problems in the script and never turning his character into a stereotype.
Despite the occasionally pretentious dialogue and the low brow comedy, Straight does have a few enjoyable moments. If that's enough for you, then perhaps you'll give this film a chance. I'll go with an average rating at best, and two out of five for director Parvati Balagopalan's Straight. It's an opportunity lost. A confused film with no clear end in sight.
Rating: 2 / 5 (Average)
What do you think? Write your own review here and win exciting prizes. Winning entry will be read by Rajeev Masand on his show on CNN-IBN next Friday. Do not forget to leave your contact details.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter and Google+)
 |
 |
 |
|
displayed with permission. Use of the CNN name and/or logo on or as part of CNN-IBN does not derogate from the intellectual property rights of Cable News Network in respect of them.