Daily Times

South Asia is obsessed with cricket, so is Bollywood. Cricket stars usually overshadow Bollywood stars. Mega superstar ladies have run after cricket heroes, some ending up tying the knot. In recent years, there have been several cricket based movies such as: “Lagan”, “Patialia House”, “Iqbal”, “Azhar”, “Dhoni” and the list goes on.

“102: Not Out” is not about cricket, it merely uses cricket terminology to get attention and popular appeal. The central character in this Umesh Shukla movie is the great Amitabh Bachchan, (Dattatraya in the movie) who is indeed a “not out” Bollywood star. In this movie he is 102 in the match of life and intends to keep batting (living). He is not exhausted and his batting is still forceful and solid. On the other end is his 75 year old son, Babulal (Rishi Kapoor). While the Centurion father is lively, fun loving extrovert, the Centenarian son is grumpy, boring and a hypochondriac. The cricket reference ends there. The story is about how the father tries to instill some youthful interest in his son by forcing him to face a series of challenges. This geriatric comedy is unlike the usual Bollywood masala as well. No songs, no item numbers, no romance. Not even fancy locations. Just two old men carrying the burden on their hunch backs. The writer has tried to turn the Bollywood love story on its head with two central characters, who would normally be grandfathers of the hero or heroin. The script is complex and clever, and dialogues meaningful on occasions. But it becomes laborious and makes it difficult for a common viewer to keep pace. The fact that the father calls his own son his father, and the son calls his father his son, is meant to amuse or perhaps confuse the viewer. Sometimes it gets so bleak that it looks like ‘Black2’.

I would recommend the movie to those with a mature point of view, struggling to make sense of the world. If you need an understanding of human nature, this film is for you. If you need catharsis, this film is for you. If you want fun, go elsewhere, this one is not for you

A movie for our viewers is not a test match, it is more like an ODI, even a T20. They expect fireworks, plenty of boundaries and a fair amount of sixes. They want excitement, thrill, glamour, a sensational nail biting finish. But here we have over-age players batting endlessly. But one must pay tribute to the two veterans of the film world. They are in fact the saviours of an otherwise ill-thought out plot. They are funny, lively and have a good chemistry with each other, not less than Dilip Kumar-Madhu Bala or Salma Khan-Katrina Kaif. The back and forth interaction between the two actors is wonderfully creative, with frequent improvisations. Whereas Amitabh has a subtle and nuanced style, Rishi is far more proactive and “over the top”. Infact, it is the energy exchange between the two that infact keeps the film going. Rishi is his usual ‘cute’ self, living a life devoid of wonder, whereas Amitabh is like a funny monkey, but with great pain inside, struggling to set his father on the right track. His job is to make his father feel, to feel emotions such as anger, hatred, sadness, joy, wonder, laughter…and love. Through frequent pranks, slowly and gradually he reminds his father of who he once was. Slowly, they both struggle, and regain their memories, and themselves.

The film shows the humanity of the two characters with all its strengths and weaknesses. While to some it may seem bland, to others it may seem subtle, penetrating into the heart of human consciousness, and asking the greatest question of all, what is more important, knowledge, or humanity. The paradox between the two, is indeed what drives the film. The fact that the son has a serious affliction, yet struggles to make his father’s life a happy and prolonged one.

The background score is outstanding, the saving grace of the movie, compensating for the absence of song and dance numbers. It conveys an innate human understanding of the desire to live and live with the ‘death wish’.

I would recommend the movie to those with a mature point of view, struggling to make sense of the world. If you need an understanding of human nature, this film is for you. If you need catharsis, this film is for you. If you want fun, go elsewhere, this one is not for you. Overall, according to my humble opinion, test match watchers may like parts of the movie if they come with their pop-corns and slush drinks. But for average film-goer, the ODI/T20 type, it is boring and sleep-inducing. It is OUT, clean bowled. No need to go to the third umpire, go to another movie.

Published in Daily Times, May 11^th 2018.