Movie Review: Bob Biswas
Rating: 3 of 5
Star Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Chitrangada Singh, Paran Bandopadhyay, Purab Kohli, Kanchan Mullick, Bhanu Uday, Vishwanath Chatterjee, Samara Tijori, Ronith Arora, Pabitra Rabha
Director: Diya Annapurna Ghosh
The mystery of this thriller lies in its tightly-knitted story, multiple mini shocks & well-packaged dialogues, thanks to the brilliance of Sujoy Ghosh. It’s not just Bob getting introduced to this whole new world for the first time, it’s all of us going through the same together with him. The beauty lies in its unpredictability because we don’t exactly know what to expect from the antagonist. In a scene, Bob asks his wife, “Am I a good person or a bad one?” & that’s exactly what all of us will ask the makers, as they soothingly put together each layer of the puzzle pacing towards a competent climax. Follow SpotLife ASIA for the latest news and updates.
The film is musical heaven for those expecting some offbeat tracks matching the beat of the film. Bianca Gomes’ Tu Toh Gaya Re (composed by Vishal-Shekhar) remains to be the standout performer adding the necessary groove to the feel. Clinton Cerejo & Bianca Gomes’ background score is one major reason why this universe is way different from what we’ve seen before. The way Diya coordinates with Clinton, Bianca to just completely stop the music to showcase an immediate shock in some scenes is commendable & comes across as super-cool.
Abhishek Bachchan had two issues even before deciding to be Bob Biswas, it was to get into a required physique and replace a talent like Saswata Chatterjee. This had more risks of everything going haywire than any other character he has attempted in the past. But, boy oh boy, the range he brings to the table is remarkable. From someone just waking up out of an 8-year coma, Abhishek just nails the portrayal of a confused man looking for answers. With the film, his character grows & so does his power to surprise us with multiple sequences.
Chitrangada Singh’s character works as the bridge for us to see the positive shades of Bob Biswas which weren’t part of Kahaani. She makes him look good manipulating our minds to make any final decision about Biswas’ true identity. Very much like Lance Reddick as Charon, the concierge at the Continental Hotel in John Wick we’ve Paran Bandopadhyay as Kalida running a drug store in front supplying arms as a back door business connected with the Mafia. Paran gets as natural as he could be with the body language, dialect of his character & it works as a favour for him.
Purab Kohli in a special cameo shines bright with his quirky presence as a bad guy in Bubai. Kanchan Mullick as the next-door-ass*ole is just there for two scenes but leaves a memorable mark. Bhanu Uday, Vishwanath Chatterjee as the special branch officers Jishu & Kharaj keep the intrigue alive without going over the board. Samara Tijori as Bob’s stepdaughter skillfully builds the emotional connection one would need towards the climax. Ronith Arora as Bob’s son is a wasted character, but it’s okay considering the amount of them in the film. The very talented Assamese actor Pabitra Rabha as Dhonu is yet another actor who scores big despite limited screen space. His earnest performance helps you to relate to a different shade Bob Biswas.
