By Murtaza Ali Khan
Qarib Qarib Singlle is the latest offering from writer-director
Tanuja Chandra that comes after a hiatus of 9 years. Chandra, who is known for films like Dushman, Sangharsh, and Zakhm, has drawn inspiration for Qarib Qarib
Singlle from a radio play written by her mother, Kamna Chandra, years ago. In words
of Tanuja Chandra, “The radio play
stayed in mind for long. The story was about funny man, also a shayar, who had
numerous flings in the past. He harbours the notion that the women must still
be weeping and crying for him but the truth is far from that. So the film is
actually my mother’s story which I co-wrote with Gazal and gave a contemporary
feel to it.”
Qarib Qarib Singlle stars Irrfan Khan and Parvathy as leads with
newcomer Aman Sharma in a supporting role. The film features special
appearances from the likes of Neha Dhupia, Isha Sharvani, Brijendra Kala, Siddharth
Menon, Bajrangbali Singh, Navneet Nishan Pushtiie Shakti and Luke Kenny. Qarib
Qarib Singlle is the story of two single individuals, a woman named Jaya and a man
named Yogi, both in their late 30s, who meet each other through a website
called Ab Tak Singlle. What ensues is a series of fun-filled encounters between
these two persons who appear to be poles apart to ever end up together. While
the man, who calls himself a poet, believes in living his life to the fullest,
the woman comes across as a shy and private individual who hasn’t yet fully
recovered from the trauma of losing her husband at a considerably young age.
Unlike most modern-day rom-coms, Qarib Qarib Singlle takes time
to set up its characters as well as the world in which the story unfolds but it
never appears slow or boring. In fact, the tone of the movie is brilliantly set
by its opening montage that introduces us to Jaya, giving a sneak peek into her
boredom-filled life. Also, the choice of the song "Tanha Begum" for this sequence is quite interesting. From the moment Yogi
enters her life everything around her changes. She gradually learns to let
herself loose. When Yogi invites her to accompany him on a tour to meet his old
girlfriends (remember he is a poet with numerous flings in the past) she
disdainfully rejects at first but later on agrees to it, realizing that the
boredom of her life is too overwhelming. The chemistry that Irrfan and Parvathy
share is one of the movie’s strong points. After a point, we completely forget
about Parvathy and Irrfan—for we only see Jaya and Yogi.
The movie takes us to exotic locations across the states of
Sikkim, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan. Also, parts of the film are shot on the vintage
Fairy
Queen train. Qarib Qarib Singlle may remind some of Wes Anderson’s
The Darjeeling Limited (2007) and not only because both the films have travel
as a recurring motif but also because of the undercurrent of humor that
underlines the two movies. The movie features a bunch of scenes where the
character of Jaya makes a direct address to the viewers. But she rarely speaks like Kevin Spacey’s character in House of Cards, but mostly only establishes an eye
contact while looking directly into the camera, perhaps to acknowledge the
presence of the audiences or maybe to establish a connect with the others who
can relate with her.
It can be safely said that filmmaker Tanuja
Chandra has made a strong comeback with Qarib Qarib Singlle. Here’s a charming film with a lot of heart. While the movie has its share of weaknesses, its merits completely outweigh them. The
casting choice of actress Parvathy, known for her work in Malayalam cinema, is
nothing short of a masterstroke. Tanuja Chandra attributes it to her brother-in-law,
filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra, who had previously screen tested the actress for
a film that didn’t get materialized. Irrfan, on the other hand, must have been
a natural choice for the part of Yogi. He essays the character of Yogi with
such ridiculous ease that it makes us think that he was born to play the part. In
fact, seeing him essay the part of the happy-go-lucky Yogi, some may find it a
bit difficult to digest that the same man once essayed a maniacal serial killer
in a TV series called Darr several
years ago. But that’s what all good actors are expected to do. Speaking of
acting, Aman Sharma here deserves a special mention who makes his presence felt
as an Old Delhi taxi driver who takes Yogi to Rajathan when he misses his
train. Qarib Qarib Singlle is a beautiful slice-of-life film about solitude and
companionship that takes time to cast a spell on the viewers but once they are
hooked there is no escape from its irresistible charm.
Rating: 7.5/10
Readers, please feel free to share your opinion by leaving your comments. As always your valuable thoughts are highly appreciated!
Qarib Qarib Single - Official Trailer (YouTube)
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