 "Be Happy Movie Review: Abhishek Bachchan & Inayat nail an emotional father-daughter relationship story; Nora Fatehi as usual remains ornamental")
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Inayat Verma, Nasser, Nora Fatehi, Harleen Sethi and others
Director: Remo D’Souza
Language: Hindi
It is good to see Abhishek Bachchan’s acting skills are being recognised, and he seems to be nailing the complex father-daughter relationship. Hopefully people will stop comparing him with Amitabh Bachchan now. Audiences need to understand that he has a very different style of acting, unlike his father. He isn’t an over-the-top actor, but a very fine craftsman. Hence, he is underrated, which shouldn’t be the case.
First, it was Shoojit Sircar’s ‘I Want to Talk’ and now it is Remo D’Souza’s Be Happy. No matter how much we try to see the character of Abhishek in the film, you will get to see only Abhishek, the father in real life.
He has completely immersed himself in the role of a single father. What I liked about the film was the music and what I didn’t like about the film was the fast pace. We are so used to slow burn movies and series on the digital platform, Be Happy seemed a bit too fast for my refined palette for cinema. But Abhishek stays on course even when the script goes unmoored. His expressions even when he is not saying anything is brilliant in each and every scene. What works for Be Happy are the performances by Abhishek Bachchan, Inayat Verma and Nasser. Though I feel Nasser’s craft remains untapped in a very predictable role of a grand-pa.
Be Happy is written and directed by choreographer turned director Remo D’Souza. The choreography and music is fabulous, what it lacks is a solid script though the story is impressive which talks about hope and dream that is going to make you laugh and cry at the same time. Nothing out of the box, but the climax is sad… very sad. Not only is Abhishek Bachchan phenomenal in the film, but the little package Inayat Verma will steal your heart. It is only Nora Fatehi whose presence is totally irrelevant in the film and just doesn’t add any value to the story.
Be Happy explores the tender father-daughter relationship, which is not as simple as people think it to be. It can be a complex and most misunderstood relationship, and this is where the story has missed out on the finer layers.
WATCH the EXCLUSIVE video interview of Abhishek Bachchan, Inayat and Remo D’Souza on Be Happy:
Abhishek Bachchan’s character as Shiv, father of Dhara (Inayah Verma) could have been explored more. Being a brilliant craftsman that Abhishek is, his expressions say it all. I think his portrayal of a father is effortlessly brilliant and we have seen it before even in ‘I Want To Talk’. The best part of the film was to see the touching transformation in Shiv (Abhishek Bachchan) from socially awkward father to an out-going, fun loving person who is ready to take any risk for the happiness of his daughter.
The story of Be Happy is about Dhara and Shiv who is a single father who can’t get over the loss of his wife in an accident. Dhara wants to become a dancer and his father is a banker and so is his grand-father. Though his grand-father is encouraging Dhara in her dream. But Shiv thinks dance to be just a hobby and for him studies should be first priority. But later he gives into the dreams of his daughter and moves to Mumbai from their hometown Ooty so that Dhara can join Maggie’s (Nora Fatehi) well-known dance academy and win India’s Superstar Dancer.
When all was going fine and Dhara was just a step away from her dream of winning the India’s Superstar Dancer award, an unexpected cruel thing happens in her life which completely topples not only hers, but also her grand-father and father’s journey. But will Dhara be able to fulfill her dream? For that, we need to watch Be Happy on Amazon Prime Video. Not completely flawless, and the story could have been even better, but the film truly deserves every bit of your time.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
WATCH the trailer of Be Happy here:
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