Indian cinema, till date, has had a lot of stories centred on fathers: revenge dramas, comedies, actioners… but seldom one about a terminally ill man who wishes to reconnect with his daughter. (Also read: The Whale movie review: Masterful, moving performances by Brendan Fraser and Hong Chau clash with an overdone story)
While the one liner of I Want To Talk forces one to compare it to the 2022 acclaimed Hollywood film The Whale, there’s a big difference here: I Want To Talk is based on a real story, The Whale was not.
The plot
Abhishek Bachchan plays Arjun Sen, a marketing professional, who is diagnosed with last stage cancer, and he is told by doctors he has about 100 days to live. Naturally worried, he starts spending more time with his daughter Reya (younger version played by Pearle Dey) as his divorce with his wife Indrani is finalised. He even thinks of ending it all one day, only to be convinced otherwise by his nurse, Nancy. And what gives him hope is a request by his daughter: she wants to dance with him at her wedding in the future.
Shoojit Sircar, the director, is in no hurry with I Want To Talk. It’s an indulgent film, which takes its own sweet time to move the story forward. The first half is about Arjun’s struggle to come to terms with being a patient (both as a noun and a verb), and forces you to think: what would you do if you were given just a few months to live, one fine day?
The diagrams Arjun prefers to be explained his surgeries on, him feeling like a medical ‘project’- and the doctor reaffirming his belief- it catches you off guard simply because all this isn’t something you discuss at the dinner table. Shoojit and his screenplay-dialogue writer Ritesh Shah have lent a lighter tone to a serious situation, which some viewers might take time to process. Yours truly laughed at a point, while the theatre was silent. Maybe it’s this belief that Sircar targets: what if you look at the brighter side of things, even when it’s all bleak?
The winning blend
The second half of the film thankfully wears its light heartedness on it’s sleeve- and Johnny Lever’s casting (as Johnny) has a lot to do with it. The man brings a smile to your face with his mere presence, and gets a couple of terrific lines which crack you up. Bachchan, too, has immersed himself in his role as Arjun, who is initially scared of one surgery, but later gets obsessed with them. He has survived 19! His equation with his doctor Jayanta Deb (Jayant Kriplani) is also a highlight- the chemistry the two share also infuses a lot of enthusiasm into the story.
Bachchan fully utilises his real life demeanour as a chill guy with some of the best one liners in the room, for his character. “Speaking in between when two Sens are talking is ‘inSensitive’”- he tells his daughter’s boyfriend. I couldn’t help but spot Abhishek’s father Amitabh’s own portrayal of an ageing father in Piku here, who is involved, to a fault, in his daughter’s life.
There are pacing issues with I Want To Talk. The first half is apt, with a conflict at hand and Arjun’s plan of action. The second half however is unnecessarily stretched initially, and almost wears you out. It ends on a good, hopeful note though. What stays is the title and irony: his daughter, in a voiceover towards the end, wishes she could have a heart to heart with her dad just once. Then whose perspective is the title, from? Reya or her dad Arjun? I want to think.