Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

A Brilliant Conflict

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

This recent Bollywood film had been lurking around the shops and I'd hear people refer to it as a 'different' 'offbeat' or 'art' film, not the usual 'masala' entertainment at all. Even though I fully realize that the hey-day of the Indian parallel cinema is over, I do keep on the lookout for the odd experiment or mixing of genres that filmmakers attempt every so often. Well, this turned out to be a hugely underrated little gem. It's off-beat alright, and doesn't have any silly musical numbers that plague the more mainstream Indian films. But what most reviewers and critics have failed to point out about it, is that it is really a good old-fashioned 'film noir', (albeit minus the moody lighting, and with a generous dose of humor) given a bit of post-modern sheen. It's a little too soft-edged (read: wholesome) and could have been a bit more atmospheric, but I suppose that for a first-time attempt, this is pretty good. The script is not as twisty or clever as it may seem at first (certainly won't fool any experienced film-noir buff), and I even guessed the 'big reveal' at the end, long before it came. But these minor quibbles do not get in the way of a thoroughly enjoyable tale, with many finely etched, memorable scenes (including a bizarre dream sequence). The performances vary, and the director seems unsure of the tone he wants his actors to take, but overall they are all good. Honey Chayya is particularly outstanding as the semi-senile old man Sethna. Naseeruddin Shah is wasted as the pot-head pottery maestro, but he plays the role well enough. Dimple Kapadia is a perfect portrait of a shrill, conniving, slutty middle-aged housewife. But Simone Singh is a little too pure and straight-laced (even when she's being shown 'rebelling' behind her hubby's back). Saif Ali Khan is just fine as the protagonist. All in all, a great little comedy/drama/thriller that doesn't outstay it's welcome, and at 83 minutes, is paced quite efficiently. No surprises for noir fans, but a pleasant enough ride through somewhat familiar territories, and an unexpected gem from the outskirts of Bollywood.

I have always seen Saif Ali Khan as one of the most talented stars of Indian cinema. He is one of the actors who underwent enormous transformation in his career, and is today one of the rare entities in Bollywood who have style with even more substance.Being Cyrus is not his best performance till date. And yet, it will probably always be remembered as one of his memorable roles because of the dark shades to his character.The movie boasts of an incredible line of greats from Indian cinema, and a pretty good storyline. I will refrain from making any reference to the storyline since it is bound to give away something about the movie.Overall, an enjoyable movie and something that you will probably want to watch more than once!

Now, that is the surprise package of this otherwise average package. The movie begins well, showing the plight of the Sethna family. But I think the plot is revealed only after the first half(which is just 40 mins or thereabouts). The breaking line, before the intermission, as to how the police inspector was going to change the lives of the sethnas, is a little unclear.The positives of the movie, are its novel plot, good cinematography, and actors like Naseruddin Shah and Dimple playing their roles well. Now we know that Dimple can also look disgustingly bad, when wanted! However, the movie lacked the conviction that was required in revealing the plot. The abstractness of the movie, may well be its plus and minus.Coming to think of it, I cant really see the reason behind some scenes in the movie. For example, the scene where Saif walks from the tea shop and shows some kind of care(??) towards the partially dressed lady on the pavement.

"Being Cyrus" is ... well, ...about Cyrus (Saif Ali Khan). The film essentially centres around him and the other characters just provide him with the material to play his game. They are mere pawns in the game that he is very much the master of! The film, as everyone probably knows by now, revolves around the fortunes, or rather misfortunes, of a Parsi family ... the Sethnas. There's Dinshaw, an artist to the core... eccentric, lost in his own little world ... completely oblivious, or seemingly so, to the immediate world around him. His wife, Katy ... a frustrated, scheming shrew, if ever there was one! One actually feels that she gets her just desserts at the end of the movie! On the other hand, one actually feels sorry for Dinshaw because he doesn't even realize what hits him ... and WHY!The plot seems a bit convoluted and fuzzy at times. What, for example, does Katy pay Cyrus all that money for? What does Cyrus do with it? He's certainly not seen spending much of it! Why does he spend endless hours instead in a studio/workshop doing God alone knows what! Why, in the first place, DOES he go to Dinshaw's place, ostensibly to learn the ropes of fine clay pottery making? He doesn't seem to achieve very much there either ... since one merely sees him constantly trying to get seduced by his hostess, a nymphomaniac to the core! All is of course revealed at the end ... but till then, things seem a bit of a mystery.Which brings me to the actual theme of the film. The suspense is very well maintained actually. It's a crime thriller with a difference. But, at least for a lay person like me ... some of what happens, seems totally uncalled for. Murder, euthanesia ... whatever you may choose to call it. There are also gaps ... After all, how can one get into another person's mind ...since the entire film is in flash-back? Things somehow don't quite add up.The acting is good on the whole. However, Cyrus has such a perpetually bored, dyspeptic expression ... could have done without it, I feel! Dimple has over-acted a bit. Or perhaps she's meant to be hyper and irritating! But it still seems like a trifle too much of over-acting!From the point of view of displaying the typical traits of a community ... I think "Being Cyrus", is certainly right up in the front. The places, the people, the degradation, the hopelessness ... it's all very well portrayed.The one point which really struck me as being a bit odd was the lack of balance between the parts of the film prior to and post intermission. The second portion seemed to flash by and even before we knew it, the film had come to an end. It's like getting a jab in the arm and suddenly sitting up and going through the actions in super fast motion! The first portion, on the other hand, seems to drag a bit. Nothing moves ... it's like being in a state of suspended animation.However, on the whole, I think the movie is well worth watching. If not for any entertainment value ... the film is worth watching for the sheer novelty of the plot.