Homi Adajania makes
a promising enough debut with Being Cyrus.
Yes, the film is quirky, odd, funny and black
with some exhilarating moments and excellent performances
but the end result still leaves you wanting something
more. Somewhere this mix of black comedy and film
noir doesn’t quite gel in totality leaving
you with a film where one feels it’s not
a bad effort but nothing more.
 Dinshaw
(Naseeruddin Shah) is a stoned crazy sculptor
living in Panchgani with his ageing yet voluptuous
wife Katy (Dimple Kapadia). They take in a young
guest Cyrus (Saif Ali Khan) as Dinshaw’s
apprentice. Cyrus starts to shuttle between Dinshaw
and Katy's Panchgani home and an old building
in Mumbai where Dinshaw's aged and much neglected
father Fardoonjee Sethna (Honey Chhaya), his diametrically
opposite brother Farokh (Boman Irani) and way-too-young
wife meek wife Tina (Simone Singh) live. As Cyrus
treads through the complicated households, the
cracks begin to show and he soon realises there
are far too many skeletons in the cupboard and
too much swept under the carpet. But who is really
using whom?
One must speak of the mounting of the film –
of the Production Design, the creation of the
Parsee Ambiance, Anaita Shroff Adajania’s
costumes and Jehangir Chowdhury’s wonderful
cinematography. Several Sequences in the film
are extremely well handled and stand out –
the sequence at the well where Dinshaw cuts his
foot, the Policeman’s reaction to the cream
in his tea or the interrogation scene of Dinshaw
and Katy among others. The film makes very solid
use of the voice over technique in true noir fashion
and the voice over too is imaginative, witty and
well written.
The performances are largely right on target.
Naseerudddin Shah has for long been first and
last choice for playing an eccentric Bawa and
it’s something he has mastered down to perfection
right down to the smallest detail. He effortlessly
sails through his role as the stoned sculptor
living in his own world. See him as he is lost
and totally oblivious to the police interrogation
even as he is charged with murder. It is yet another
masterful performance from a masterful actor who
never ceases to surprise you. Boman Irani is in
equally fine form in home territory while Saif
Ali Khan is more than credible. Manoj Pawa enjoys
himself thoroughly while Simone Singh is more
than adequate. Dimple Kapadia tries gamely but
ultimately is just not Parsee enough and one feels
tends to go way over the top in order to compensate;
But rather than totally blame the talented actress,
perhaps it’s just a case of miscasting here
on Homi’s part.
 On
the flip side, the dream sequence immediately
post interval while stylishly done adds nothing
to the film. Much of the quirky narrative flow
is done through deliberate in-your-face obvious
editing flourishes – the Black and White
extreme close ups for example which are not successful
always and in fact jar the narrative flow. Once
when the late Renu
Saluja was asked how she reacted when people
congratulated her on her editing, she said she
used to feel most embarrassed as according to
her editing is not something people are supposed
to notice! Certain sequences like the fight between
Boman and Delna Patel over her dog biting him
seem to go on and on and again don’t add
much to the overall plot and yes, the background
score too tends to get in your face at times.
A little subtlety here would have helped. Also,
the way the film is going and especially if you
are familiar with film noir, you are prepared
for a major twist in the second half and hence
are able to work some of it (the Simone Singh
track) even if not exactly how the flow of events
really unfolded. It is here that the film loses
its bearings. Maybe if flashes of Cyrus’s
childhood were revealed here rather then being
planted earlier in the film, the twist could have
been far more effective.
But all in all, it is refreshing to see such
an attempt being made in Indian Cinema and the
film is certainly better than the usual run-of-the-mill
fare that one is normally subjected to these days.
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