‘David’ review: Bejoy Nambiar dares to be different

Gayatri Sankar

Experimenting with and implementing out-of-the-box ideas aren’t as easy as they seem to be. Bejoy Nambiar, who made his inroads to Hindi cinema with ‘Shaitaan’, which garnered rave reviews, has now come up with a visually thrilling piece of art- ‘David’. Nambiar has an unusual way of story-telling. With ‘David’, he unfolds stories of the three protagonists of the film who share a common name. The times they belong to are different and so are the places they hail from. With action, romance and comedy in somewhat proportional lengths, Nambiar strikes a healthy balance that doesn’t leave you jaded. Neil Nitin Mukesh (David) is based in London in 1975. Ghani, a dreadful and a very powerful gangster raises Neil and showers him with all his love, something which his biological son is deprived of. And Neil knows how to return the favours. For him, the world starts and ends with his father-figure Ghani. Nambiar intelligently introduces the other characters. Vinay Virmani (David), who hails from a lower middle class Christian family in Mumbai in 1999, is an aspiring singer. And a notorious yet responsible son that he is to a very compassionate father, dreams of making it big in the field of music. And then after comes Vikram (David), a fisherman from Goa in 2011. The happy-go-lucky guy, David sinks into alcohol for having been betrayed by his would-be wife. A man, who since then keeps a safe distance from women, confides his feelings to his dear friend Frenny, a small time body massage parlour owner. Nambiar thoughtfully builds the stories of the three protagonists in his film who are diverse in all spheres- their situations, their dilemma, their miseries and their destinies. Yet in the end, their lives do bear a striking resemblance, for the way they conduct them, leave a strong poignant connect that knows no other language- but the language of love. Neil Nitin Mukesh looks incredibly handsome in the film. He has pulled of a stunning performance and this character of his will certainly make producers queue up to him for their next. Raw talent Vinay Virmani is impressive and looks promising as an actor. And Tamil superstar Vikram is fabulous. The ladies in the film, though each of them has meaty roles to play, do hold great significance. Monica Dogra (Noor) not only looks gorgeous but also delivers an incredible performance. Isha Sharvani (Roma) has done a decent job but the lady who steals the show is the very talented Tabu (Frenny). The other characters that had pivotal roles to play have done complete justice to their respective roles. Their realistic portrayals are worth applause. The juxtaposition of the three stories is smooth and the transitions aren’t surprisingly jarring (considering the diametrically different times they belong to). R Rathnavelu, PS Vinod and Sanu Verghese have been quite good behind their cameras and their efforts have paid off rich dividends, for the film looks visually appealing. The songs are intricately woven with the storyline and are soothing. Remo Fernandes’ Goan number will tempt you to shake a leg. And of course the all time hit number originally composed by Sufi Legend Bulleh Shah ‘Damadam Mast Kalandar’ sees a brand new way of representation. The film successfully keeps you wondering about what will unfold next, for A Sreekar Prasad, the man with those sharp magical scissors has done a commendable job. The film looks neat, crisp and intriguing. And the climax holds a surprise. The mise-en-scene is apt and does look every bit realistic. And so do the characters, who look quite familiar and very much unlike the ones specifically designed for films. Nambair, is perhaps one of those young filmmakers in the country, who believes in delivering something hatke. And with his second Hindi movie ‘David’, the talented filmmaker only promises to bring forth more such creative works on celluloid. Don’t give this film a miss. So do grab your ticket at the earliest and treat yourself with something that’s never seen before.