Absolutely Fantastic

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Parvati Balagopalan's 'Straight' is an okay fare, that needed a better script. But there is something unmissable in this rather under-rated film, that is, Vinay Pathak. The Talented Actor pitches in a delightful central performance, that rises above the material & turns out to be its biggest merit. 'Straight' Synopsis: After being rejected by women, a restaurant-owner attempts to deal with homosexuality.To be honest, 'Straight' does work, but only in the second-hour. The first-hour is slow-paced & very uninspiring. The actual excitement begins in the second-hour, which I must say, does engage. The Screenplay, overall, is flawed. The journey of its confused protagonist needed more pace & definitely more humor. Parvati Balagopalan's Direction is well-done. Cinematography, Editing & Art Design, are passable.Performance-Wise: Its a Vinay Pathak show all the way. He never fails to deliver & keeps you hooked even when the script falters. He's the lifeline of the enterprise. Gul Panag is decent, as always. Siddhartha Makkar delivers confidently. On the whole, 'Straight' may not boast a particularly engaging story, but it does offer one of Vinay Pathak's Best Performances!

I was very impressed by Parvati Balagopalan's 'Straight'. Set mostly in London, the story centres around a British Indian but this is nothing like the usual saccharine NRI love story that Yashraj production has churned out every year by contributing to the pollution of Hindi cinema. Given the main theme revolving around a man who is confused about his sexuality, who experiences a clash between Indian tradition and a rather open English culture, the story had to be set outside of India. Sexuality is an important theme but unlike many Hindi films, 'Straight' does not mock homosexuality. The movie is given a refreshing treatment. The film has heart and it is told beautifully and with sincerity. The execution is first rate. The editing, lighting, cinematography and art direction are brilliant. Sagar Desai's music flows beautifully with the story. Balagopalan proves to be a promising director and I would be looking forward to her forthcoming projects. In my books, Vinay Pathak can do no wrong and once again, he carried an entire film. This man's incredible talent never fails to amaze me. Gul Panag is excellent. I was in love with her character Renu and I loved that she did the movie and how she played the part. This actress deserves more recognition. Anuj Choudhry is likable and Sid Makkar adds some comic relief. Ketki Dave is hilarious as always. 'Straight' is both thought-provoking and immensely entertaining. In my humble opinion, it is the best Hindi film of 2009 so far.

What can be said about this? Well! For one thing is that it is almost on the same line as "Dostana" as it deals with a similar theme and it is also a good comedy which deals with one man who seems to think that he is gay when he hires a man and a female to work in his famous restaurant after being rejected.Starring Vinay Pathak, Gul Panag, Ketki Dave, Rasik Dave, Siddharth Makkar, Anuj Choudhary and Achla Sachdev, written by Anahata and is based on the story by Uttam Gada and is directed by Parvati Balagopalan.We last saw Vinay Pathak as Shahrukh Khan's friend and stylist in "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi," but here he has performed rather well in the role of a main character and has gone on to show his versatility, supported by Ketki Dave, who, many will remember from Balaji TV series, "Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi's" "Daksha" and who also made a brief appearance as Saif Ali Khan's mother in "Kal Ho Naa Ho." And what can possibly go wrong with such two comic actors, who are well supported by the others and in particular Achla Sachdev and Siddharth Makkar and Anuj Choudhary, who have also performed well! This did and was bound to lead to some hilarious scenes, which many may consider as of "adult" nature but on the whole they are decent and clean. But with Rasik Dave and Gul Panag, I felt could have done more, as they seemed to be put onto one side of the movie, but it could have made it a bit more interesting if this had not been the case.Parvati Balagopalan, the director, has handled this comedy and the subject well. But on the whole, this movie is worth watching once but some may think it appropriate not to do so with their kids.

Parvati Balgopal's Straight tries to break the romantic comedy in Hindi cinema mould by bringing in a gay angle - but it doesn't succeed in making much of an impact on the viewer - at least it didn't work for me. Wifey thinks it wasn't a bad timepass but I think the flaws overpower the good parts. The movie opens with a very innovative aeroplane graphic to show the generations of the Patel family who emigrated to all corners of the world. Pinu Patel's parents landed up in London and he becomes a restaurateur (I kind of got a Cheeni Kum deja vu sometimes - but of course, no comparison between Mr Bachhan and Vinay Pathak). Sticking to his simplistic image, Vinay Pathak plays Pinu Patel, simple and honest, who still shies away from girls and doesn't have much social life.Till two people walk into his life - stand-up-comedian-cum-cook Kamlesh (played by ) and cartoonist-cum-accountant Renu (Gul Panag). Pinu is happy to have two good friends - and his restaurant also starts booming - till an accidental kiss happens. And as trailers have already revealed, Pinu Patel is horrified to realize he just might be gay. But he just doesn't want to even consider the fact that he might not be straight and so begins com the misadventures as he desperately tries to lose his virginity.The movie does generate laughs at some points - mostly of the sexual kind - and seemed to really entertain a group of guys sitting in front of me. Maybe thats the way to see this movie to make the most of it ... But for me, the laughs were few and far between - rest of the movie was a slow drag mainly because of the way Pinu Patel's character is written. I really hope Vinay Pathak stops accepting there loser kind of roles - because stretched beyond a point, they lose the audiences' sympathy/interest. I am not saying that all movies about gay issues should be a Dostana, but does the gay guy have to be really sad loser in life ? Why cant a dashing handsome dude also be gay - at least a normal guy ??The other thing that really irritates in the movie are the songs - I think there were 5 of them in the movie and not one of them hummable. Yet, the director insisted on picturizing all the songs in full ! It was probably more of a torture than the loser act of Pinu Patel. The good parts of the movie are the laughs - mostly by Vinay Pathak himself. The man can definitely act - like Dasvidaniya showed. The other cool part was Pinu's cousin Rajat - who is a pub singer - and mostly, he had a ubercool way of saying 'Pinu Baiiyya'. Ketki Dave refrains from going Ara-ra-ra-ra and acts well, especially in the climax. Gul Panag doesn't make any impression.I don't think its especially worth your money at the theatres. Watch it when it comes on TV a few months later.I regularly write about movies at http://bisprad.blogspot.com