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I Want To Talk Review: Abhishek Bachchan and Shoojit Sircar's fim will just appeal to empaths
Shoojit Sircar's I Want To Talk, starring Abhishek Bachchan in the lead, is now in cinemas. Read our review before catching the film.
Name: I Want To Talk
Director: Shoojit Sircar
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Pearle Dey, Ahilya Bambroo, Jayant Kripalani, Kristin Goddard, and Johny Lever
Writer: Ritesh Shah
Rating: 2.5/5
Plot:
A marketing genius, workaholic, and divorcee, Arjun (Abhishek Bachchan), who lives with his daughter on alternate days, feels devastated when he is diagnosed with cancer and is given less than 100 days to live.
But Arjun, who has his way of getting things done no matter how difficult it gets, decides to challenge his fate.
What works for I Want To Talk
Just randomly, an X thread appeared on my feed recently, which was about Steve Jobs' skill to convince his team to handle some of the toughest projects in hand. The concept is called Reality Distortion Field (RDF), and it's about a personal force that helps you eliminate distractions, fears, and doubts, thus making a way for you to achieve a purpose in hand that may seem impossible.
While watching I Want To Talk, I found Arjun to have the same characteristics, even though RDF hasn't been mentioned anywhere in the film. What works for the film is the journey that it takes you on. The story of a character who just can't accept that something is impossible and tirelessly works towards making it happen is something that strikes a chord with you.
The journey that the character follows, his challenges, and his grief have been presented beautifully. The fact that the situations and lack of sympathy from a few people around him (because they have their own issues) don't let Arjun fall apart is something that we don't get to see often. Even though he is in pain and grief-stricken, he lets himself be an observer of it and doesn't get carried away with it—something that's the essence of the character and even his journey.
The camera angles, the shots, and the jump cuts in some crucial situations are a treat to a cinema lover because they talk a lot without the need to say a dialogue.
The dialogues are subtle, philosophical, yet delicious, and many of them will stay with you. Don't miss the Piku and Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota (CIPA) reference.
What doesn't work for I Want To Talk
The problem with the narrative style is that it will appeal to you only if you are an empath. For an average cinemagoing audience, the screenplay may turn out to be too dry because it moves at its own speed and hardly has a truly heartfelt moment.
In stories like these, emotions play a great role. I Want To Talk hardly has a scene that will make you shed a tear. It never really gives you an emotional high. Moreover, there's only a dash of humor for the audience to be involved.
The dialogues are mostly in English, and it's something that will not go well with tier 2 and tier 3 city audiences.
Performances and Direction
Abhishek Bachchan gives one of the best performances of his career. Even though the character goes through a lot of physical and mental transformation, you never feel the actor skips a beat. He has done well with the dialect too and makes his portrayal convincing.
Ahilya Bamroo, Johny Lever, and Kripalani lend able support and shine in their own moments.
Shoojit Sircar and writer Ritesh Shah have done well but could've taken a slightly more audience-appealing route considering the film is a theatrical release. The kind of treatment I Want To Talk has got would've been a right fit for an OTT exclusive release.
Final Verdict of I Want To Talk
I Want To Talk is a kind of cinema that will appeal to a tiny chunk of the audience. The story had a lot more potential that remains untapped, and it hurts, like Abhishek Bachchan tells his doctor friend in the end.
Rating: 2.5 stars
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