Idak review: Sandeep Pathak is impressive in this endearing story of hope and unlikely friendship

After three years of waiting, the Sandeep Pathak-starrer Idak: The Goat has finally been released, even if not in theatres. Idak is an endearing tale of an unlikely friendship between the loner Namya (Pathak) and a goat.

Namya is a good-for-nothing guy who lives with his mother (Usha Naik). School dropout Namya spends his days wandering around in the village. He is absent-minded and also gullible, which makes him the perfect bunny for the villagers.

Namya's mother is worried about his future. One day she dreams of the goddess Chivri asking her to sacrifice a goat for her at the annual fair. Reluctantly, Namya agrees to fulfil his mother's wish. He finds a goat and leaves for the fair, but the goat turns his simple journey into a two-day road trip during which it makes him realize the meaning of friendship.

Idak is one of those feel-good films where you have a smile on your face throughout its runtime. The film spends a good chunk of the first half introducing us to the milieu of the village and showing Namya's daily routine which is to wander around aimlessly. We also see the love-hate relationship between the mother and son. Namya is fed up with his mother's constant badgering, but he also loves her enough to massage her feet every night.

Since Namya is ridiculed by everyone in the village, his mother is his only friend. Director Deepak Gawade shows the deep bond between mother and son in short scenes where Namya massages her feet or asks her to tell him a story which he has heard innumerable times before.

When Namya leaves on his journey with his goat, which he fondly names Idak, the film peels the layers of the character and we get to know him more intimately through his conversions with Idak. On this journey, we learn about his insecurities, his childlike innocence, and his compassion for others.

Deepak Bhave, Deepak Gawade and Hridaynath Jadhav's story does not have many ups and downs but Pathak's dedicated performance as Namya keeps you hooked. He interacts with a few people on his journey and those interactions give him a new perspective.

Pathak is convincing as the innocent and gullible Namya. His earnest performance keeps you interested even when nothing significant is happening on the screen. Usha Naik does a fine job as the worried mother of the simpleton. Apart from these two, there are a bunch of artistes who have only two or three minutes of screen time each.

The film's screenplay, which is the combined effort of Bhave, Gawade and Jadhav, falters in the middle section. Some moments in the film touch your heart while some just fail to make the desired emotional impact. Overall, however, Idak is a decently made feel-good film about the unlikely friendship between a man and a goat.

Idak is now available for viewing on Zee5.