After showing what he
is made of, in the contemporary classic Shaitaan,
Bejoy Nambiar has once again brought something new to the table with his
latest, David. One might get the
feeling of having seen a long film, which it relatively is, but to David’s credit, it tells three distinct
stories which could have easily been three very interesting films by themselves.
And by that standard, the film is pretty short. It tells the story of three
characters who have nothing in common, save for their name; who live in three
different settings in three different times; and who are about to make that one
decision that will change their lives forever.
For the weak minded, David’s screenplay may require a notepad
to be taken to the cinema hall; but it is really not that complicated. David is an intriguing tale about the
absurdity and the power of destiny and how it plays a huge role in one’s life
without any signs to show. The three stories are set in three different times –
1975 London, 1999 Mumbai and 2010 Goa. These three stories have absolutely
nothing to do with each other and have been separately narrated with distinct
treatment. The story of David (played by Neil Nitin Mukesh) in 1975, is shot in
black and white and has an amazing noir overtone to it. Vinay Virmani’s David,
set in 1999 Mumbai, has a hint of realism, while Vikram’s David, who is a
fisherman in Goa 2010, has a great sense of humour.
To their own merit, all
the three stories are brilliantly crafted and the coincidental intersection of
their lives aside, the film lives up to its reality. Taking the screenplay of Shaitaan as a benchmark, David’s screenwriting could have been
tighter throughout the film. However, the reason to really watch David is not its screenplay, but the
story, the performances and the directorial ability to control such a vast
story.
Speaking of
performances, Neil Nitin Mukesh has finally had one of those roles that is
tailor-made for him; like Johnny Gaddaar
and 7 Khoon Maaf. Vikram is perhaps
the most accurate Goan in a Hindi film. His perpetual drunken state accounts
for that severe south Indian accent and does a great job otherwise. Vinay
Virmani is the weakest among the three leads but is fairly tolerable. Among
other roles, Monica Dogra looks great on screen but her acting doesn’t live up
to the standards. Tabu and Saurabh Shukla, are well groomed characters who
bring a lot of Goa into the narrative. However, if there is one language that
shouldn’t be coupled with the native Konkani, it is Hindi. Several other small
roles, which might make for a long reading, have been performed with equal
consistency which adds value to the film.
Just like the ‘Sach aur
Sacchayi me farak hota hai’ from Shaitaan,
David too ends with a deep philosophical message from the director. When
destinies of three unrelated stories affect one another, depending on your
philosophical stand, you may love or hate the film; because that is what
determines whether David overwhelmed
or underwhelmed you. Lengthy at times, the broken narrative makes you focus on
the activity on the screen and makes you stop texting for a while. And in
today’s day, if that is not success, what is?
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Published in DNA After Hrs (Pune) on February 3, 2013
