Shoojit Sircar

Are you also tired of the massy over-the-top action films and forced horror comedies that do nothing but leave you feeling frustrated? Well, then it's time we give ourselves a break from that and grow some patience to watch real and meaningful human stories. A very recent one that has hit the theatres is a Shoojit Sircar directorial I Want To Talk starring Abhishek Bachchan, Ahilya Bamroo, Kristin Goddard and Johny Lever. The film is inspired by a tragic but optimistic real-life story of a cancer survivor Arjun Sen.I Want To Talk is a touchy and emotional ride that celebrates a man's resistance against the life-threatening disease, determination to stay alive and a rocky father-daughter bond that eventually finds peace. The Shoojit Sircar film is not all perfect but does it deserve your time? Read the review to decide! Story Arjun Sen (Abhishek Bachchan) is a marketing genius, well that he is and the man is quite proud of it. The film begins with introducing us to Arjun's busy lifestyle in the Marketing space and this is explained through a voiceover by Abhishek Bachchan. But Arjun's life is not all that sorted because he is also going through a divorce. While professionally he is superb, the protagonist remains in a delusion that he is a good father too as he spends every alternate day of the week with his daughter. Things turn upside down when he is diagnosed with Laryngeal Cancer. A feeling of denial hits him in the beginning but once the acceptance comes, Arjun Sen undergoes more the 20 surgeries that hardly leave any of his organs fine. However, the second half of the story also explores the relationship of Arjun Sen with his grown-up daughter (Ahilya Bamroo) and how the gap fills between their father-daughter relationship while they navigate through the hardships that come with Arjun's long battle with cancer. I Want To Talk deals with themes of optimism, hope, love and strength! Performances Abhishek Bachchan: The actor is absolutely spot on in the portrayal of Arjun Sen and makes for the perfect fit. Abhishek Bachchan truly imbibes the nature of a man who wants to live and just wishes to do one thing after recovery- TALK! The actor delivers a balanced emotion throughout and handles the character with a lot of sensitivity and maturity. When dealing with the little Reya, he possesses the nature of a confused and lost father who thinks he is doing it all right. But with the adult Reya, he displays the possessive, understanding father who acknowledges the mistakes he made in life and is ready to mend those. Abhishek Bachchan gives his best to bring out the pain, agony, at times hopelessness of Arjun Sen who is battling the worst kind of cancer that is slowly eating up his body from inside. But at the same time, the actor effortlessly delivers the hope, perseverance and optimism that Arjun has just to stay alive and breathing! Ahilya Bamroo: She plays the grown-up Reya and does an impeccable job at it. She is not just convincing as a frustrated daughter who has grown up with separated parents trying to juggle her life between two households, but the actor also evokes strong emotions that well can make you shed a few tears too. The other actors in the film also lend good support to the film's narrative. Also Read: What To Watch From November 18 To November 24: I Want To Talk, All We Imagine As Light, Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairytale, And More! Post-Interval Shoojit Sircar's I Want To Talk goes deeper into the emotions of each character only in the second half. And maybe that's why the whole father-daughter narrative between Arjun Sen and Reya feels more personal. The film also picks up pace post-interval when Arjun accepts the surgeries, pain and cancer as part of his life but continues to lead a normal healthy routine. The second half of the film is also a lot from Reya's POV and how she begins to understand her father's cancer and emotional battle, and her efforts to become her dad's biggest strength during the tough times. The emotional and I need a tissue part of the film majorly happens in the second half. Celebrates Human Emotions I Want To Talk is also a reminder that there is still good in the world. This is shown beautifully and very subtly through the friendship shared between Arjun Sen and his nurse Nancy (Kristin Goddard). There is a scene where Arjun shows suicidal tendencies and is all set to jump off a cliff, but only those few words of love and care wrapped in the form of anger and scolding over a call from Nancy is enough to bring him back to his senses. However, it also gives a hard-hitting reality check that sometimes we are not present for the person who has been there in our worst times! Shoojit Sircar's Touch! The director knows how to tell many things without serving the audience everything on a platter. There is a scene when little Reya confronts her dad and asks him if he is faking his surgery and cancer stories, all this while her mother waits for her in the car. After Arjun shows her the stitches, she goes to her mother, tells her something out of anger (we have no clue what), brings her belongings and goes straight to her room. That night, she also comes and asks her father if she could sleep next to him. This entire scene hardly has dialogue is enough to tell us that little Reya has started to somewhere trust her father! It's beautifully shown. There are similar shots in the film as well, and they are mostly shared between Reya and Arjun! Flaws Nobody tells a human story better than Shoojit Sircar, and I am glad that after Piku, he has given us another father-daughter film to watch. But it is still not perfect and the emotions are not captured in a way that potentially it could have. The first part of I Want To Talk spends a lot of time building up the narrative around Arjun's life, the changes that happen after the cancer diagnosis and his consistent effort to steal more talking days, but all this with little to no amount of emotional deep dive. The film does not deal with Arjun's marital problems and chooses to conveniently ignore a part of his life that could give the audience a deeper insight into the relationship with the daughter, or even a better understanding of his character. Also unlike Piku, I Want To Talk does not marinate the father-daughter bond enough to keep those emotions alive even after leaving the theatres. It was great to see Johny Lever on the screen. However, the placement of his character in the film felt forced and I still question the need for it. It did not provide any kind of comic relief which maybe the makers were hoping to add! Also Read: Did You Know Abhishek Bachchan Took THIS Inspiration From Daughter Aaradhya Bachchan For I Want To Talk? Verdict Shoojit Sircar's I Want To Talk needs patience but it's a story that should be watched with the family. It lets you feel some emotions which as humans it's really important to understand! The film is inspired by real life and is a reminder that there is hope even in the darkest of days. Abhishek Bachchan and Ahilya Bamroo have delivered amazing performances and are worth the watch. However, I Want To Talk does feel stretched with the narrative losing its essence and diverting into a rather bland way of storytelling, only in the first half. It also needed more emotions to connect with the audience which only happens in the later part of the film. And now, if you feel this deserves your time and money, I Want To Talk will hit the theatres on November 22!

Shoojit Sircar

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