Onir has always beeen a film maker who has fascinated me because of his choice of unexplored territories in human psychology and relationships. He might not have the recognition of Sanjay Leela Bhansali or the success of Karan Johar, not even the controversies like Anurag Kashyap, but he is one film maker who has constantly delivered top notch films, and so when I sat down to watch Sorry Bhai! I had a lot of expectations from the film right from the very onset.

The promos of the film pretty much made the plot clear to the audience. Sharman Joshi plays Siddharth, the young brother of Harsh a.k.a Sanjay Suri who falls in love with his brother’s fiancee Aliya(Chitrangada Singh) when he comes to attend the marriage ceremony. Since the major plot was already revealed it was intersting to see how Onir handled the depths of a sensitive subject like this, as well as make it entertaining.

The movie starts off on Siddharth’s wedding day ,with Sanjay Suri leading the way. But certain scenarios are immediately brought into focus that confsues the audience about who Siddarth is really marrying. Onir does not waste time in holding the confusion and immediately shifts into flashback of eleven years ago, which forms the entire plot of the story and the film itself.

Sharman Joshi is a brilliant budding scientist working on the “Everything Alive” theory where he tries to attract a wooden dog named Einstein towards him by matching his brainwave frequencies with the frequency of the wavemeter tagged to the dog’s collar. A fascinating concept, but it fails to show application as his presentation fails miserably and his chances of getting a grant are ruined. Frsutrated, he returns home and then begins the real story where he learns his brother Harsh is getting married and they have to leave for Mauritius. To know what happens next, watch the film :p

The last thing I had expected Onir to do was to adopt a humerous approach to get the story into motion, but he surpirses once more with his inherently funny beginning to the drama. The interactions and one liners exchanged between Boman Irani playing Dad and Siddharth are a treat to watch. Shabnana Azmi’s frustrations and anger only add to the humour as the story breaks into little wonderully humerous sequences and I am left wondering( and laughing) if the Dostana route is indeed the flavour of the season, and if Onir has designed this as a comedy.

But the misconception breaks soon enough as Onir shifts gears from comedy to a dark gritty drama which unfolds around the family. Suddenly there are cracks in the perfect couple, as faith and committment take a backseat to unexplored love and unfaithful liasons. Onir develops the complexity of the plot in layers keeping the entire central plot simple and weaving depths into it. Romance, jealousy, shock and guilt all follow each other in perfect succession as Onir keeps venturing deeper into the darkness of the mind and the heart, keeping an air of vulnerabilty and helplessness among the lead characters throughout the film. The story keeps gaining momentum and blazes into the climax where Onir unveils his trump card shocking the entire audience with decisions and events that form the biggest twists in the tale, not to mention put the film into another level of controversial outcomes altogether.

The major reason Sorry Bhai! is so entertainingly engaging is because the audience can connect to each character so deeply.The simple plot and the depth of each character is so appealing that the audience is pulled right into the heart of the dark drama , feeling for each member of the family as the webs of infidelity tangle around them.Onir takes time to skillfully bring out the virtues and flaws of each character so that the helplessness and emotions are extermely relatable. The entire screenplay is smooth and haunting , and a soothing backdrop of Mauritius and a pleasent musical score only add to the positive points in the film. The film does lose its way for some part in the middle due to reptitive sequences, but Onir unfolds his cards at the right time, to keep the audience hooked on till the end. As the end credits roll, one keeps analysing the film at the back of the mind, wondering about each little drama and decision. The audience lives the part of the characters throughout the entire film, and thats what makes the film so engagingly special.

Sorry Bhai also works on another level because of its stellar performances. Sharman Joshi is perfect as the stumbling confused younger brother who is confused between his family and his love. His natural performance brings the character of Siddharth alive. Sanjay Suri delivers a good perfomance as the brooding groom fighting his own demons and faced with shocks all around him. Boman Irani and Shabana Azmi are delightful as a pair and each form a striking contrast with Shabana playing the calculative, suspecting mother and Boman topping it off with the cool, understanding father. But it is Chitrangada singh who steals the limelight as she forms the pulse and soul of the entire film . A woman coming of age, torn between her commitment and love, fighting her own self for freedom beyond her expectations, and trying to please the family of the man she does not love anymore , while dreaming of his brother knowing fully well that her dreams are not meant to be realised. Her character has so many shades infused into her, its difficult to identify her persona  in one single mould . And Chitrangada Singh plays each turn and bump of the wild rollercoaster ride with equal poise and panche, infusing soul into her character. Be it in her charm and her smiles, her pain or her tears, her confusion or her helplessness, she sets a new tone to the film , making the audience fall in love with her every mood.

The dialogues are brilliant and beautifully capture the essence of the drama. Onir uses silence to develop the bonding as well as seperation between characters and the fim’s narrative is structured in a simple and lucid way, so the central connection with the audience is not lost. Onir always has suitable one liners for each scenario and I would like to mention one towards the climax that represents the mood of the entire film.

Boman Irani tells Sharman Joshi ” Tu ek taraf lakdi ka kutta udana chahta hain aur dusri taraf maa kasam main bishwas rakhta hain”

Precise and humerous, with a dark essence, the dialogue represents the film.

Onir goes into uncharted waters once more with Sorry Bhai! where he takes a simple plot and turns it into a dark engaging drama which manages to entertain all the way. A superb plot supported by top notch performances and Onir’s own directorial genius, Sorry Bhai! is another coming of age film which raises the bar of Indian cinema in global prospects, as a gruelling tale of human relationships structured around the forbidden fruits of love and lust.

Go watch Sorry Bhai! It will be a film you would be talking about long after the show has ended.

My Rating : 3.5/5 (Very Good)

Related posts:

1. Masand’s Verdict: Sorry Bhai, a magnificent drama
2. SORRY BHAI – Indigestive plot with only saving grace, the performances. (Review By Bobby Sing)
3. Kareena being sought for ‘Chashme Baddoor’ remake
4. Difference Between Aamir Khan & Amitabh Bachchan
5. “Yuvraaj” versus “Rainman” & “Sautela Bhai”