Here’s Why You Should Watch Radhika Apte’s Bombairiya

Bombairiya, as its name suggests, is an ode to the crazy city that is Mumbai by first time director Pia Sukanya. It has captured what you’d call a day filled with a series of unfortunate events that turns worse by the minute. It truly captures the breathless energy of the city of dreams in a hyperactive and erratic way. Thanks to the wide array of amazing actors, the movie is entertaining enough to keep watching till the end. So much that, amidst all the craziness happening on screen, you sort of end up wishing that it all works out in end for the sake of all the varying characters we get introduced to throughout the movie.
Is there really any role that Radhika Apte can’t ace? Probably not. She quite honestly carries the weight of this crazy ride on her shoulder in terms of maximum screen time. And as usual, she does not disappoint. She plays Meghna who sets in motion this city-wide cat and mouse chase in an effort to retrieve her phone that was stolen from her.
An array of really great actors join her in making this otherwise too-wild-to-focus-on-the-plot film quite fun. Akshay Oberoi, Siddhanth Kapoor, and Ravi Kishan are superb additions that make the movie worthwhile. Siddhanth puts up a noteworthy performance as one of the oddballs in the mix. Special shout out to Akshay Oberoi who plays Abhishek, a software engineer who is too good for his own good. This is characterized by the name he is affectionately given by his mother for his ability to go all out to help others. You really can’t help but aww for Abhishek who really tries his best to solve all of Meghna’s problems from the moment they cross paths.
While the actors have done their parts to perfection, it is the script that requires a brush over. What upsets the balance is the lack of direction of the story. While the movie sort of tries to follow the dark- comedy route that Andhadhun took last year, it doesn’t succeed in hitting the bullseye with the script. The parallel storylines of unravelling hidden mysteries and embarrassing secrets are just too tiresome to follow after a point. The film sort of answers the question of, ” How many characters are really too many?” These many for sure. You kind of start wishing the film could have been as succinct as its trailer. But in the end, it does bring to the forefront an important issue we need to address in our country- witness protection.
The actors, the all-too bustling side of Mumbai and the main plot point of witness protection are pretty much enough reasons to buy your ticket.
All in all, the movie is quite a jolly watch after you’ve taken a prescribed dose of patience to sit through the chaos.