As you walk down a not-so-crowded corridor, exiting a theater having just finished watching Rahul Bose's debut feature as a director, Everybody Says I'm Fine, almost certainly you will be confused about what to make of it. The more you evaluate and analyze it, the more obscure your reactions will become. Of course, a lot of it depends on the company you've seen the film with… sometimes 18 year olds can convince you that American Pie is great cinema; but by large, if you've watch it alone, even days later certain images from the film will keep coming back (as they always do) and you will continue to spare a moment for it. Then, as you slowly begin to obsess about it, you'll to turn to the expert critics for their opinion (they know what they're talking about right?) and come to the safe conclusion that ESIF is a 'well-tried, but its no good' kind of film. But you are here now, and we have a little point to make.

Actually, Everybody Says I'm Fine is a good film. You go into it, expecting an English, August or a Bombay Boys, but the truth of the matter is that ESIF is most unlike any other commercially made English film in India.

It's good because of several reasons. Some of these are obvious, and some not so. The not-so obvious reasons include:

1. The film is not intended for an international (read festival) audience. It is for English speaking Indians.

2. This has been inferred by the fact that (despite the scene with the beggars and lepers having a good time at Xen's expense) Bose is certainly not trying to sell India with a typical portrayal of a kind of Indianess from a Western perspective. Thank God for that.

3. There is no deliberate indulgence in trying to woo a "crossover audience" (whatever that is.) It's a good story to tell. And Bose has just happened to do it in English.

The obvious reasons are several:

1. The script. This is what makes the film work. It is not irreverent (have you noticed how Upperstall loves irreverent films? The latest being Kan Nathil Mutha Mittal) and yet ESIF is fascinating because of the jigsaw-like yet coherent plot that is woven wonderfully around a handful of characters and, if you've let go of trying to predict endings, packs quite a surprise. Here is a story that you can take and shoot in any country, in any part of the world, and the result would be the same.
a. The story tracks are well thought of an executed. The Pooja Bhatt-Anahita Oberoi one, in particular, is oustanding.
 
2. The performances. The best include Pooja Bhatt, Boman Irani, and Rehaan Engineer. Bhatt is understated and therefore elegant, and conversely has greater presence. Irani handles his repetitive role interestingly. Engineer has trained at RADA.
Rahul Bose is slightly over the top, but bearable.
The others do more than a fine job, given their limited scope.

3. It is the one Indian English film where the Indians speaking English is natural and not stilted. It is rumoured that the film was rehearsed for 40 days and dialogue was moved around if the actors sounded more comfortable saying something else.
 
4. Vikas Sivaraman's camerawork is neat and clean. The film is well shot given the limited space and there is constant innovation with the focusing and close-ups.

5. The title. One expert critic (don't we love 'em) said that it was too obvious. Really? More obvious than Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai or Kaho Na Pyaar Hai or Mujse Dosti Karoge or …

And finally a list of why the film was not perfect:

1. The psychedelic cloud-cluttered transitions just won't do.
2. Where is the famed Zakir Hussain meets Carlos Santana soundtrack?
3. The teenage romance is a bit of a sore thumb in an otherwise tight script.
4. Koël Purie is a huge disappointment. Performance and characterization.
 
Right then, the pluses have 8 points with 3 sub-points and the minuses have 4 points (and no sub-points.) You probably could've skipped right to here in the first place and put your turbulent mind to ease as to what to think of the film, but it will always be Upperstall's prerogative to make sure you know why a film is good or not good. And we have spoken.