I Want to Talk

I WANT TO TALK is based on the book 'Raising A Father' by Arjun Sen. The story is unbelievable. Ritesh Shah's screenplay (additional screenplay by Tushar Sheetal Jain) is devoid of typical entertaining moments but is peppered with subtle emotions. Ritesh Shah's dialogues are realistic and straight out of life. Shoojit Sircar's direction is niche and yet engaging. He doesn't use the commercial tropes that others do or which even he did, in limited doses, in films like PIKU [2015]. The lead character is not instantly likeable and is socially awkward. Yet, one gets drawn into the world and the battle that the protagonist has to go through. Several scenes stand out but the ones with his daughter Reya are special.

There are pacing issues with I Want To Talk. The first half is apt, with a conflict at hand and Arjun’s plan of action. The second half however is unnecessarily stretched initially, and almost wears you out. It ends on a good, hopeful note though. What stays is the title and irony: his daughter, in a voiceover towards the end, wishes she could have a heart to heart with her dad just once. Then whose perspective is the title, from? Reya or her dad Arjun? I want to think.

Portrayed with a touching curiosity by Pearle Dey in Reya's knee high stages and a charismatic Ahilya Bamroo as the young woman slowly becoming aware about her father's determination to stay in her life, the father-daughter bits could do with a little more emphasis. Ultimately though, I Want to Talk is a celebration of Arjun Sen's tenacity to get to the finishing line in hell, hospital and humour. Abhishek Bachchan conveys the numerous chapters and challenges of his mind, body and soul with a never-before candour. It's not just his best but the beginning of how far he's willing to go in immersing himself with not just a persona but the idea of staying alive.

Shoojit Sircar has his signature way of dealing with subjects in his films. Many might consider it slow, and there is no denying that. But that’s the same quality that makes them heartfelt and poignant. He did it with October and Sardar Udham Singh, and he does it with I Want To Talk. The film is a display of Sircar’s craftsmanship and his grasp of the film. If you are into heartfelt dramas, the pace of the film will not bore you. Instead, it will make you more invested in the character through its fly-on-the-wall-style storytelling. Arjun Sen’s journey feels personal, and that is all thanks to how Sircar chose to execute the film. Kudos to Ritesh Shah too for bringing a story like this to life. Sircar also intersperses the narrative with comic elements. It is brilliant how he introduces relief through Sen’s interactions with Dr Deb.