Yesterday on the staircase,
I met a man who wasn’t there.
Today again he wasn’t there.
Oh how I wish he’d go away.
Being Cyrus - it probably answers some deep existential questions about life and uses the parsi way of life as an interesting background. That’s what I figured (from the promos)when I went to see the film. The movie turned out to be completely unpredictable.
To put it simply, it is a terrific film. But I have to put in a decent amount of words here - so here goes........
The movie opens with a top shot of Saif lying on the ground, a huge bag of money by his side. We go into flashback mode – Saif comes to the Panchgani home of Master clay artiste Dinshaw Sethna to learn pottery from him and introduces himself as Cyrus. While the vague Dinshaw seems indifferent, his wife Katie is eager to take him in. Clearly she has some designs of her own in mind.
Cyrus’s days with the couple reveal the characters of these two people – the director’s amazing grasp of characterisation is clearly evident here. Homi Adajania reveals a gentle affection for the foibles of his community as he introduces each character. The humour is very much there in the portrayal – but it is fused with a sort of sadness that makes you love and empathise with each of them. To err is human after all.
My favourite scene is probably one where the cantankerous Katie stops mid-harangue to gaze lovingly at her husband who is lost in some poetic world of his own - when suddenly she is hit by his muddy shoe as he absent-mindedly lifts it up in one hand. Funny, philosophical and pathetic – you just can’t pin down life’s moments into any easy category.
But getting back to the story – Cyrus and Katie cook up a plan that involves Dinshaw’s brother (Boman Irani) and Father (Honey Chhaya as Fardoonji). Boman’s young wife, played by Simone Singh seems very much on the fringes of it all.
As Cyrus puts his plan into action, he approaches Fardoonji Sethna and befriends him........
The elderly Sethna is one whose story needed telling and Adajania does it well. Neglected, abused or ignored, the elderly are either objects of pity or ridicule. Of course, when it is all about loving your family, there is a saccharine unreality to their screen life. Honey Chhaya as Farddoonji Sethna is just real. He is very sweet and childlike and you’ve decided he is cute. Then he talks about his past as a young man and you realise he is not that simple really.
Boman Irani as the foul-mouthed older brother is delightful as always. His interactions with various people is hilarious.
The movie touches upon many issues and makes you think. But when you are watching the film, you are simply engrossed. That makes for an ideal movie anyway – but in case you are still unsure? It is very funny too.
P.S.:The “nonsensical poem” at the beginning of the revu is from the film. Cyrus is thinking this as he listens to Fardoonji and is reminded of his own father. I’ve always loved these lines, but the movie puts it in a context that makes a lot of “sense”.