Sorry Bhai!

For a limited cast of only five characters, Sorry Bhai is a markedly refreshing departure from standard Bollywood rom com fare. The movie plays around with a simple theme of sibling equations as influenced by the catalyst called the elder siblings fiancée. The script is a typical take on the 'dysfunctional-family-comes-together-for-a-cause' mold. Harsh (Sanjay Suri) has been away from his family for a while his younger brother Sid (Sharman Joshi) tries for a research grant for his latest hypothesis. When Harsh decides to get married to Aaliyah (Chitrangada Singh), he pleads his younger brother to get his parents, especially his mom for the wedding. The fun in dysfunctional is put in by the antics of the parents, played with superb chemistry by Boman Irani and Shabana Azmi. They take this one further than their first stint as a couple in Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.

Sharman Joshi as the genius younger brother does a pretty good job keeping up his boyish yet mature image while Chitrangada Singh essays a role that perhaps doesn't present her as much of a challenge as the one in her debut did. For an actress of her potential, this is just about par for the course and she is underutilized. On the brighter side, the scenes shared by her and Shabana Azmi deserve special mention. Sanjay Suri exudes quiet confidence as usual and it fits his big brother persona perfectly. The slow narrative (you sort of expect that with a limited cast of characters) is a bit of a dampener though the locales of Mauritius provide a picturesque background for the well shot scenes.

Sorry Bhai deserves a watch, at least for being far better off than the apology of a movie that other comedies have become.

Sometimes the title eludes you, and trust me, 'Sorry bhai' is not best of the title that one can grab a movie while browsing the video store. But I surely am going to change that habit, because of this movie. If it wasn't for a good friend of mine, this gem would have slipped under my radar. Wow, it surely was one of the best 5 movies of the year 2008 (though I will be really hard-pressed to name the other four). And I haven't seen a single movie directed by Onir yet - so I make it a point to watch other two. And I have been searching for the DVD of Hazaron for quite sometime. The performances in the movie are top notch, everyone gives a solid, very controlled, and powerful performance. I didn't know who the actress was, but by the end of the movie, I was eager to know who she was, coz I knew everyone else but her. Now I am so looking fwd to DevD by Anurag Kashyap. Absolutely endearing story, though I couldn't convince myself with the ending. Direction, Spot on! Very well directed the emotional conflicts (emosanal atyachar?), the dilemma, the love, the hate and the confusion! The most jarring part of the movie is the 'Sorry bhai' song during the end titles! Guess they made the song for the promos, and thought they might include it in the movies as well, for posterity! It was during titles, so I didn't mind it, while being busy reading the titles through the moving white figures. Music wise, 'Mere Khuda' is yet another powerful ballad form KK, dependable as always! Rest all songs are okay, thankfully doesn't come on the way of narrative!

I wish there was little more noise on this movie, so more people would have come to know this sensible movie.

2008 has been a year of the B-side movies (if there is such a term) - all the big banner movies starting Jodha till Ghajini are full of disappointment! However the movies like this one, Dasvidaniya, Oye Lucky, Rock On, and few others are the REAL winners.

Must watch, this one!

I started watching it alone not realizing that it was something that I needed to see with my wife as it turned out to be an extremely engrossing entertainer. Sharman Joshi is someone who I have come to look upon as a talented actor but I could never remember his name until this film. His uncanny ability to deliver comedy effortlessly both impresses and surprises me. Boman Irani and Shabana have real chemistry. They are not just bystanding, intervening, stereotypical Hindi-film parents. They are integral to the storyline. Chitrangada Singh (I never new her name before this film) has not had to try hard (or wear less clothes or wear crazy outfits) to look gorgeous. No crazy mind-numbing jhango sets or bolly-typical dresses to insult one's taste and intelligence. No boorish loud mouths filling the gaps in creativity, or tear jerking long drawn out funerals and death scenes. These folks looked like real people with real lives that people identify and connect with. Songs are well chosen and well blended and do not stick out like a sore thumb breaking the continuity of narrative. I wanted to listen to more of its music after the film was over. I attribute a large part of the success of its music to KK's Mere Khuda. Joyful experience. Would like to see more of Hindi films along the same lines.

I had watched this movie with many a premonitions in my mind...believe me for a bollywood movie, this on really sets some standards : whether be it for a good script, a good casting or overall holistic treatment given to the movie.

Sorry Bhai is the story of a family which goes to attend the wedding of its 'prodigal' son in Mauritius. As it is obvious from the title the story then focuses on an another obvious theme : 'a love triangle'. But if you dismiss this movie right about now, saying that you have been there and seen such kind of movies, its very unlikely that you are wrong. For bollywood doesn't produce such good and seasoned films many times in a year ...and as the year 2008 has almost come to an end, Sorry Bhai definitely earns it place in the elite cadre.

To mention about the strengths, this movie has definitely got everything in place : its actors, it beautiful location (in Mauritius of course) and a storyline (which except for some points in time seems to be a bit immature/unacceptable for Indian audiences) never loses track or its feel-good factor.

IF you are expecting a totally masala flick from this movie, then I suggest you give his one a miss, but if all you want to do is watch a movie and have a good feeling about it at the end then this one is definitely for you.

My rating 9/10 ...the reason for 9 being that it falls short of a little more panache and mature screenplay/dialogues which definitely could be incorporated at certain portions during the film. But what the heck, I believe all of you who would be watching the movie, would be your own judge for that matter.

Taking the decidedly uncomfortable premise of a man hooking up with his brother's girl, Sorry Bhai is a brave little film that puts a fresh spin on the tale. Bumbling younger brother Sharman Joshi arrives in Mauritius with his parents Shabana Azmi and Boman Irani to attend elder brother Sanjay Suri's wedding, and ends up falling in love with his brother's fiancée Chitrangada Singh. The triangle that ensues involves Sharman, Chitrangada and – no, not Sanjay who seems to wisely move on – but the boys' overbearing mother Shabana who gets herself irreparably entangled in this awkward mess. At the very core of Sorry Bhai's drama is the magnificent Shabana Azmi who takes her role and immediately sinks her teeth into it, constructing a character that is all flesh-and-blood. From the little moments – like the one in which she follows Sharman and Chitrangada into the woods, only to hurt her foot before she can confirm her suspicions – to the significant ones (which include her clashes with her daughter-in-law to be), Shabana is always on the ball, and makes her character omnipresent in the movie, even when she's not physically around in every frame.A word of praise also for the immensely gifted Boman Irani who has a tougher job at hand – making a solid believable person out of what was probably a three-line character sketch on paper. Boman adds the right comic touch and just the perfect hint of melancholy to create an affectionate lug of a father who speaks less but delivers gems every time he does. The plot of Sorry Bhai may be simplistic, but the film is not so much about the plot as it is about the characters, and director Onir does a fine job of writing complex, flawed characters who don't come with any easy answers. Chitrangada's character, for one, is a tough nut to crack – why does she appear almost unaffected when Sanjay puts off their wedding to attend to a pressing business commitment; why does she suddenly decide to pursue Sharman with such dogged determination; does she really feel no responsibility to Sanjay for what's just happened? These are important questions all, but the answers are hard to find. Much like life, if you think about it. Of the three leads, Sharman Joshi plays his part with such sincerity, you're willing to look at his flawed character with renewed sympathy. The radiant Chitrangada Singh is awkward in places, but puts up a good show nevertheless, especially in her scenes with Shabana. Sanjay Suri, despite the weak characterisation, does the best he can with his role, in particular nailing the film's one defining scene in which Sharman makes the big confession, to which he responds with shock, anger, and even a little affection. Sorry Bhai is not devoid of faults – the film occasionally gets too talkie, and in some places a little silly too – but the film's real charm lies in those memorable moments the director creates between his two favorite players – Shabana and Chitrangada. That's the reason to watch this film.It's a strong character-driven drama about imperfect people trying to find their own happiness in the world. Don't miss it.