Expertly made and realistically treated, Being Cyrus is a notch above the commonplace. The zone it flounders in is towards its finale. The writing of the finale could’ve been much, much better…Yet, despite the hiccups, it is engaging and involving . And credit for this goes partly to the director, in some degree to its background score and to an extent to the on-screen performers.
A Parsi family, Sethnas resides in the hills of Panchgani. A retired sculptor Dinshaw (Naseeruddin Shah) heads the family. Other members of the joint family comprise of Dinshaw’s wife Katy (Dimple Kapadia), brother Farokh (Boman Irani), sister-in-law Tina (Simone Singh) and second brother Fardoonjee (Honey Chhaya).
Then arrives Cyrus (Saif Ali Khan) at the Sethna house and stays on.
As the movie proceeds it gains a psychological insight into the family and reveals that everything is not all right with the Sethna family. Not just that, even Cyrus comes across as a bizarre personality.
Being Cyrus succeeds on various levels –
The ambience is so life-like that the viewer is immediately transported to the setting.
The characters seem straight out of life. The pain , anguish , the revenge– seldom has these emotions been depicted with such precision.Dialogues are brilliant. Ranging from poetic to acidic , the dialogues add sheen to the enterprise. Sets deserve a special mention as well.
Performance-wise, it’s Saif Ali Khan all the way. Rarely do you see a performer in a negative role rising head and shoulders above the rest of the star cast. His presence and dialogue delivery instills life in every frame.
Dimple comes across as a natural performer. Naseer, in a cameo, makes his presence felt. As usual, he essays his part with conviction.
A must see.