A review: Amitabh Bachchan tops the list when it comes to acting because of his unwavering honesty, conviction, and masterful ability to blend emotions in each scene. In her first Hindi film, Rashmika is passable at best.
Elli AvrRam, Pavail Gulati, Sahil Mehra, Rashmika Mandanna, Neena Gupta, and Amitabh Bachchan.
Vikas Bahl is the director.
Neena Gupta’s character Gayatri Bhalla, the family matriarch, passed away unexpectedly. Gayatri’s neighbours are busy deciding on a name for the WhatsApp group they are creating in honour of the deceased as Gayatri’s family and husband, Harish Bhalla (Amitabh Bachchan), wait for their turn at the cremation site. Gayatri, gone Before they agree to title it “Chandigarh Bubblies” some proposals are made aloud, including “gone” “lonely Harish ji,” and “Harish ji needs us” Why? Because Gayatri referred to the group by this name, and she wants her memories to endure. Wait. And there’s more. A new WhatsApp group necessitates a new profile photo, so the so-called group of friends poses for a happy selfie. In this emotional rollercoaster of a funeral play called Goodbye, writer-director Vikas Bahl just tosses us 0.1% of his insensitivity and silliness. I apologise for using the words “drama” and “funeral” in the same sentence. Goodbye is a muddled tale that wants to say a lot but is so mired in its problems that it never rises above a funeral, as you watch the scenario play out.
In fact, I kept wondering throughout the first half of the film what Bahl was attempting to convey through his tale and characters. Is the plot of Goodbye about a grieving, broken family? Or a dissident daughter who rejects the archaic and conventional rites and traditions. Is it the tale of four siblings who have made their homes in various locations and who come together to say their final goodbyes to their deceased mother? There is a conflict between science and religion. Is it a parody of the common death rituals in our culture? Or false emotional relatives. The movies Pagglait and Ram Prasad ki Tehrvi from the previous year, I must admit, provided a solid standard for the last two components because of how brilliantly they were depicted. Unfortunately, Goodbye either completely lacks or barely approaches that impact.
They all return to Chandigarh, where they all live, soon after learning of Gayatri’s death. A newly successful lawyer named Tara (Rashmika Mandanna) is consumed by regret about not picking up her mother’s final call or responding to her message. Daisy (Elli AvrRam), who travels with her husband Karan (Pavail Gulati), orders a “hindu” supper because she “loves the spicy Indian chicken.” Karan is a workaholic who is unable to function without his laptop and earbuds, even as he supports the body of his deceased mother. Gayatri’s favourite, Angad (Sahil Mehta), orders butter chicken and butter garlic naan during his hotel layover while travelling from Dubai before his father sends him on a guilt trip over a phone call for indulging in party cuisine while grieving for his mother. Then, Angad does get khichdi! Another son, Nakul (Abhishekh Khan), learns of the loss much later than the rest of the family while on a hiking adventure.
The tasks to be completed for Gayatri’s funeral and last rites are being discussed by Harish, his Labrador named “Stupid” and a house helper in the midst of all of this. Although Goodbye is fundamentally a comedy-drama, something doesn’t quite add up each time a joke is made while depicting death and pain. As an illustration, Harish naively complies with his friend PP’s (Ashish Vidyarthi) requests and permits Gayatri’s body to be moved around while being kept in a specific position. The humour around the deceased is frequently offensive and disgusting.
Goodbye has numerous heartwarming and emotionally stirring passages that will occasionally cause you to cry, but the screenplay doesn’t allow you to get lost in them for too long because the unnecessary humour interrupts the action far too frequently. Mind you, even clever comedy won’t make people laugh. It’s not easy to inject humour into a delicate loss like death, in fact. But Goodbye does it a little too overtly rather than subtly.
After cremating their mother, Angad and Daisy indulge in an unrepentant “sambhog” “We are doing this for mom,” he responds when the father asks. She wanted grandchildren. I don’t know if Bahl was trying to say something or just acting weird.
Amitabh Bachchan tops the list when it comes to acting because of his unwavering honesty, conviction, and masterful ability to blend emotions in each scene. In her first Hindi film, Rashmika is passable at best. Although her expressions in various scenarios could have been far better, her dialogue delivery doesn’t sound forced. Elli, Sahil, and Pavail all play their roles well and deserve the screen time they receive. Every time Neena Gupta appears in flashback scenes, the screen lights up. She has a charming on-screen chemistry with Amitabh Bachchan. Sunil Grover plays the role of the priest who conducts the funeral ceremonies. He transforms the narrative from a dull and excessively drawn-out first half to a rather fascinating start to the second half. It’s intriguing to watch how he persuades Tara to put faith before reason.
Although there are many emotions involved in saying goodbye, they don’t last very long. The comedy takes centre stage, and the imperfections are now too obvious to ignore. Watch it nonetheless if you enjoy dramas about everyday life.
