Mithya

A.V: **

E.V: **1/2

Rajat Kapoor, the actor. Best remembered for his performance as the paedophile in Monsoon Wedding and giving creditable performances in Corporate, Bheja Fry, Khoya Khoya Chand… the list goes on. Last seen in Anuranan in another intense role (actually this one was made much before the others mentioned, but released only recently in India), he is not a star by any standards. Yet he is an actor who can lend a lot of strength to the casting credits. Rajat Kapoor, the director. Not so well remembered, is it. Not surprising giving that his last two ventures were Raghu Romeo and Mixed Doubles. Both these had unusual concepts, and tried to look at the lives of ordinary people in a humourous light. Both were rejected by the audience and critics. To his credit he has been directing since 1994. Which begs the question: Is Rajat Kapoor a better actor or a director?

Mithya has the age old theme of the underworld’s obsession with cinema as its backdrop. VK (Ranvir) is a small time actor who leads an oddball existence trying to make his career in Bollywood. His life changes when he is picked up by some goons and taken on a secret mission. After a lot of dilly dallying we are told his mission is to replace the top don of a rival gang Rajebhai, who is his look alike, once the don is bumped off. Though initially scared, VK takes up the challenge as an actor and gets into the character. The plan goes off perfectly till VK has an accident and he loses his memory. Thereafter he begins to search for his identity and confusion reigns all around.

Much as the storyline sounds interesting here, it falters in execution. The movie follows its on languid pace and seems to lose its purpose several times. The editing is quite shoddy and destroys the flow of the plot. The love story between VK and the actress/moll (Neha Dhupia) seems stretched as there is zero chemistry between them. The movie does have its good moments towards the beginning. For example when VK rehearses in his room to the irritation of his neighbors and when he is drinking his ‘quarter’ by the seaside.

The movie quite visibly belongs to Ranvir Shorey who proves his worth once again in a role which requires an entire range of emotions. Along with his friend Vinay Pathak, he is one of the most under rated actors of recent times. Vinay, though is wasted in this movie which is sad to see as audiences expected to see the Ranvir-Vinay camaraderie sparkle once again. Neha Dhupia does what she is supposed to here: look pretty, though the cinematographer seems obsessed with her curves and legs. Among the others, Iravati impresses in her small role as the don’s wife.

Hindi cinema goes through phases where movies with similar themes are released simultaneously, the recent being of aspiring actors wanting to make it big in movies. One gets the feeling that Mithya would have been wonderful to watch had it been made differently. Because the biggest mithya was marketing this as a comedy movie when there was very little to laugh about.

 - Suprateek Sinha