SAIFF 09: RAAT GAYI, BAAT GAYI?

A comedy of errors and manners, there's something very classical yet fresh about Indian director/actor Saurabh Shukla's new film. And while it doesn't bat one hundred percent, it's an honest little take on the breakdown of communication that can happen within relationships.

Rahul (Rajat Kapoor) and his wife, Mitali (Iravati Harshe) attend a big bash for a writer friend, and it is here that Rahul encounters the enchanting Sophia (Neha Dhupia, a former Miss India). There's little doubt that these two have a connection, a real spark, that they coyly disentangle throughout the night. Things escalate, alcohol plays its part, and Rahul wakes up the next morn with no clear recollection of last's night events and a livid wife.

The film is structured around putting the puzzle that is the party back together, with Rahul visiting his goofball pal Amit (Vinay Pathak), who was also at the party. Amit also happens to be dealing with marriage issues of his own, when his wife, Nandini (Anu Menon) stumbles on a little internet pornography he's been ogling.
Rahul then visits the host of the evening, the writer, Saxena (Dalip Tahil) and finally he must track down the mysterious, Sophia.
Meanwhile Mitali is consoling Nandini, as is Jolly (Navneet Nishaan) the wife of Saxena. Battle of the sexes? Not quite... While the film plays the broad comedy card with "men are dogs" and such lines, its only toying you with such surface stuff. These people are stuck in that, because they really don't want to face the music. Both the men and women have to figure out that maybe they shouldn't be gossiping and bickering to each other and just go speak to their respected spouses.

Ultimately a little too long at 140 mins. Shukla, also a veteran actor, is adept at handling the large crowd scenes and both the little moments, things just needed to be tightened here and there. Minor characters and asides add up, and distract from the key triangle of Rahul/Mitali/Sophia. Kapoor (who directed FATSO) is genuine in his concern for what may have happened that evening. In no way does he come off as a sleaze bag. He's a man whose life could shatter with one possibly mistake and he knows it. A solemn fear is cast over him, pushing him onwards. While most of the movie has characters wanting to point fingers, where it ends up is entirely the opposite  Almost tongue in cheek, there is a slyness to the movie that is fun to watch, though  the supporting cast is mostly there for expositional push and humor, and doesn't always ring true, even annoys a bit. I'm namely speaking of Pathak, who just reminded me of Robin Williams for some reason.

Co-produced by Kapoor, both he and Shukla seem to be leading a pack of Indian filmmakers who are working outside of the Bollywood system, making commercial films, but having control over them as artists. As filmmakers they're bringing in their friends to act; mentoring new talent, improvising... handling material that may not be all that edgy or artistically daring, but still equals solid storytelling driven by character. They're getting to do it their way, while still finding a mass audience. In many respects this reminds me of the way Judd Apatow and crew have managed to work in and around the Hollywood system.  If these two groups are any indication of how commercial films in both industries are shifting, I think that's a very good sign, indeed.