Review: Abhay Deol’s ‘Road, Movie’ falls short of expectations

Spicezee Bureau

Robert De Niro may have decided to put his money on ‘Road, Movie’ but that doesn’t make the film a winner. Although, there were high expectations from the film considering the fact that the film has garnered good reviews in various international film festivals but the film does not live up to the mark. Starring Abhay Deol-Tannishtha Chatterjee-Satish Kaushik and directed by Dev Benegal, the film portrays the relationship and experiences of the protagonist while on the road. In the film, Abhay Deol plays a young lad Vishnu, who is fed up of his father’s dwindling oil business and decides to find his own calling. Along his journey in the deserts of Kutch in Gujarat and Jaisalmer and Jodhpur in Rajasthan, Vishnu gives lift to a young lad (Mohammed Faizal Usmani), a mechanic (Satish Kaushik) and a sexy gypsy woman (Tannishtha Chatterjee). Various themes and sub-plot unfold as the film moves further ending in a kind of self-realization of the lead character. The film is slow-paced and the screenplay is bland, lacking basic level drama. The characters are not well-drawn and the direction is a little vague. There is lack of chemistry between Abhay and Tannishtha, however, the cinematography by Michel Amathieu is good. Another good feature of the film is its witty dialogues. Abhay Deol has delivered an average performance in this one but Satish Kaushik and Tannishtha are good. The background score is catchy but music is passable. Rating: Two cheers