It has a different energy, this film

Mona

“Sab jagah kitna bheed hai na, bheed mein bhi akela toh akela hi hota hai. Aap akele hain? Main akela aur lonely, and getting older,” says 75-year-old Kamath (Jackie Shroff) to a fellow senior in his effort to socialise on his morning walk at Nana Nani Park in Mumbai. It’s his effort to make friends after a thief strikes him down during a robbery attempt at his house. Another fellow walker, Parkash Kaur Handa (Neena Gupta), also falls prey to the same thief, Madahosh Gupta aka Nanhe (Abhishek Chauhan). On his second attempt, Nanhe only bundles her up in bedding before escaping.

The introvert Kamath and outgoing Parkash Kaur come together to start a survey to save oldies like them from another strike. However, between their Madrasi-Punjabi banter, the journey takes an adventurous route!

Parallel runs the thief’s thread — Nanhe would rather earn through his honest tailoring business but increasing debt makes him hustle not only as a dog walker, car cleaner and loader, but also as a part-time thief. He finds love in Rani (Monika Panwar), a beggar, and these two couples whose life criss-crosses try to find their fair share under the sun.

Vijay Maurya is the writer and director of this simple, heartfelt story, and weaves a world far from the gloss, glitter and gore, right in Mumbai! Maurya debuted as a director with series ‘Crash Course’. The National Film Award winner for Best Screenplay for ‘Chillar Party’ (along with Nitesh Tiwari and Vikas Bahl) has a deep insight of Mumbai. He also has to his credit ‘Gully Boy’ as a writer and actor.

Mumbai of ‘Mast Mein Rehne Ka’ plays a perfect backdrop to this story that highlights the loneliness in senior years, lower middle class’ struggle for survival and varied relationship dynamics. Maurya, with his extensive theatre background, extracts some wonderful performances. ‘Hero’ and ‘Parinda’ actor Shroff gives one memorable performance in this one. A lonely man who would rather die finds a new purpose in being Parkash Kaur’s ‘park friend’. He lovingly addresses her as ‘Handa Amma’. There are quite a few touching scenes, including the one in which he tells Parkash, “Main akele main baat karta hoon”, and she goes, “Ab nahi karoge.” How he chokes over it is stirring. As is the end, when he speaks of attachment. This is not Neena Gupta’s first role as a spunky Punjabi woman. Ignored and exploited by her Canada-based son and daughter-in-law, she brings a tenderness to her role — a tough exterior to an isolated woman at heart.

Abhishek Chauhan as Nanhe gives a befitting performance as a man caught up in circumstances. Monika Panwar as a street smart, good-at-heart woman doles out a fine performance. The beauty of the film is that even the smaller roles have some fine performances — there is Faisal Malik as Baburam, Vivek Namdev as the watchman and Rakhi Sawant as Bilkis aka Bimla.

It’s a different film that reflects various ills that plague society, but the point of view with which it’s seen is kind and compassionate. Right from Mumbai Police that’s shown in humane light to the thekewala and stallwala are gentle to Chacha (Kamath). Mumbai from cinematographer Nagaraj Rathinam’s lens is alluring. Songs ‘Phir Se’ and rap ‘Mast Mein Rehne Ka’ aid the narrative. The film’s no run of the mill stuff that is doled out these days. Iss film ki energy alag hai, as Kamath says about Mrs Handa!