Goodbye: A Funeral Drama that Tries to Juggle Genres and Time

Plot:

Engrossed in celebrating her first career milestone with friends, Tara Bhalla misses her father's phone calls. Her world falls apart when she wakes up to discover that those calls were made to inform her of her mother's untimely demise. The film follows the coping mechanisms of a Chandigarh family after their matriarch's death and revolves around her last rites from preparing for the cremation to the tehrvi, the 13th day of mourning.

Acting:

The star of the film is Amitabh Bachchan, who proves once again why he is one of the biggest superstars of Indian cinema even at 80. Rashmika Mandanna struggles with the accent as she sounds too south for a Punjabi role but gets her character right. Neena Gupta, though we hardly see her, fills the screen space with her presence and has a certain warmth around her. Sunil Grover's cameo as a pandit is also worth mentioning. Everyone else, including Pavail Gulati, Sahil Mehta, Elli Avram, Ashish Vidyarthi, Abhishekh Khan, played their parts well.

Cinematography:

There isn't anything extraordinary about the cinematography, but it serves the purpose of showing the events as they unfold.

Direction:

Vikas Bahl tries to juggle genres and time, and the film feels episodic and scrambled. The story oscillates between some heart-warming moments and then something absolutely irrelevant. The conflict between the family members is more Baghban than Piku, though it tries to lean towards the latter. The story also feels stagnant beyond a point, and the script could have been better.

Verdict:

Goodbye is filled with heartwarming and heartbreaking moments. The unfiltered emotions in the film touch the right chord and even bring you closer to your loved ones. If you have lost someone dear recently, be prepared to shed some tears. This movie is a story of a family coping with grief and laughing through their pain. If you're in the mood for some emotional drama, give Goodbye a watch, but keep in mind that it is not an easy watch for those who have lost a parent or are dealing with an ailing one. Keep the tissues handy before watching this one.

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