Review: ‘Straight’ discovers alternative sexuality in a lighter vein

Spicezee Bureau

‘Post-Dostana’, it seems sexuality has become the hot favourite subject in Bollywood. The newest entrant to join this bandwagon of exploring male sexuality is Parvati Balagopalan’s ‘Straight’ which explores a taboo subject of alternative sexuality. ‘Straight’ is a breezy flick that revolves around the life of Pinu Patel (Vinay Pathak) – a London based restaurateur who is confused about his sexuality. Pinu seems to be struggling with his sexual preferences while coming to terms with his true ‘self’! Haunted by his virgin status and struggling to impress girls, twist comes in the life of Pinu Patel when his cook and stand up comedian Kamlesh’s (Ayush Choudhary) boyish charms becomes his dilemma. Yet, the sorry story of Penu does not end here as with the arrival of Renu (Gul Panag) – an accountant at Penu’s restaurant whose chemistry with Kamlesh is enough to make Penu go green with jealousy. Revolted by the mere thought of being gay and trying to discover his real self, Penu struggles with his sexuality, his Gujju gay cousin and a stealthy meet with Renu initiate our poor Penu into true love which can be both straight and gay! While on a journey of discovering modes of sexuality, Penu Patel’s antics are a laughter riot so is the love triangle between Penu, Renu and Kamlesh. In terms of performance, Vinay Pathak once again delivers a convincing portrayal of the confused Penu, who is coming to terms with his alternative sexuality. Both Gul Panag and Anuj Choudhary are camera friendly and stick to their characters with utmost sincerity. The background score suits the mood of the film and cinematography deserves praise. With ‘Straight’, Vinay Pathak gives an endearing performance of a person coming to terms with his sexual preferences. Funny, poignant and light-hearted – the film is a must watch! Four cheers for this one!