Shriram Iyengar
Mumbai, 03 Dec 2021 10:30 IST
Diya Annapurna Ghosh's directorial debut is a brave spin-off with an interesting plot and characters and some captivating performances but lacks the directness and certainty that made its lead character iconic.
The risk of a spin-off lies in the popularity of the original. Even before Bob Biswas (2021) was released, Abhishek Bachchan and the makers would have realized the burden of expectations through the consternation online about his casting in the titular role.
While Diya Annapurna Ghosh's debut film is indeed a quirky, interesting crime drama, it lacks the instant magic or direct certainty of her father Sujoy's Kahaani (2012). Bachchan's performance, while good, vacillates between lines of morality.
A recovering Bob Biswas (Bachchan) walks out of the hospital into a cozy Kolkata home with Mary (Chitrangda Singh), Benny and Mini (Samara Tijori). The doctor introduces them as his family, but Bob has no idea. He might be a middle-aged Jason Bourne trying to work his way back, but there is an entire world that depends on his evil handiwork. A corrupt intelligence unit now takes Bob under its wing to complete its dirty work. Its only task is to get Bob back in working order.
Meanwhile, an addictive, attention-enhancing drug is spreading among Kolkata's students. Bob is tasked by the Intelligence Bureau to put an end to this. When Mini falls prey to this drug, Bob finds his day job and night job colliding, with disastrous consequences.
All of this is a cover-up for a simple fact — Bob Biswas was a villain. Plain, simple and gentlemanly he may be, but he was a villain. Neither he nor his audience had any doubt about this. The screenplay for the spin-off, however, wanders through the morality spectrum before arriving at the same conclusion, without conviction.
The struggle to turn Bob Biswas into a relatable, almost heroic, figure robs the character of its unpredictability. Kahaani's Bob was a man whom the audience could not decipher, hard as it tried. The spin-off portrays a man who is often confused and cannot make up his mind. Even when his path has been charted, it feels like an accident rather than a choice.
This means the film takes its own sweet time to get into the right zone. There is an intriguing, well-stitched story behind it all, yet the diversions taken by the screenplay to reach that point make it redundant. Perhaps, Diya Ghosh needed a tighter script, with fewer characters and incidents.
There are also several loose ends that add to the confusion. The reason for Bob's accident is never revealed, and the tenuous connection with Sujoy Ghosh's Kahaani feels forced. In the effort to connect these dots, the makers seem to have knotted themselves up in new problems.
The film goes to great lengths to establish Bob's willingness to kill to seek a second chance at life. Yet, when he receives another hit job at the end of the film, there is none of the guilt he displayed all this while. There is also the question of the honest police officer (Tina Desai) whose actions do not match her zeal for justice. It feels like a deus ex machina.
Yet, some wonderful results emerge. Abhishek Bachchan's performance, while not matching that of his predecessor Saswata Chatterjee, adds a bit of humour and nuance to Bob. He cannot capture the creepy, murderous intent but is effective as a man trying to rediscover his own identity.
He is joined by Chitrangda Singh who gives a good performance as the innocent Mary, but the character is almost irrelevant to Bob's journey. Samara Tijori delivers an able performance as Bob's stepdaughter Mini, struggling with demons of her own. The actress is confident, efficient and convincing. A bit more focus on her tension with her stepfather would have added to the drama and the humanism.
Yet, the film produces one unforgettable character — Paran Bandopadhyay's wonderful Kali-da, the philosophical merchant of death who is Bob's arms dealer and also a secret keeper for a whole world of assassins. It might seem a touch John Wick (2014), but the mischievous and sparkling veteran makes the part his own. Some of the best moments of the film inevitably involve Kali-da. Another fascinating character is Dhonu, the loyal assassin friend who stands out with his ordinariness.
There are quite a few good things about Diya Annapurna Ghosh's film. However, there are some fatal flaws in the writing and handling. One only wishes they had left the character untouched. Why fix what ain't broke?
Bob Biswas is now available on Zee5.