Bugaboo

Let me start by saying that I am not a big fan of movies from India, but I thoroughly enjoyed this comedy! The film is centered on a young computer programmer from India who is not satisfied with his life in Silicon Valley. He knows there is something more than the superficial life he sees his friends pursuing, but has a hard time going counter to the norms and expectations of his society. THEN he comes across a "Doctor of Randomology" who, introduces random deviations into the young man's life. The Doctor of Randomology spins a dial and whatever it lands on, the young man has to do. The young man, still looking to an authority for answers, asks the Doctor each time what will happen after he does each task, to which the Doctor shrugs his shoulders and says, "Who know"? These deviations start the young man on a path to liberating himself. All in all, an insightful film, which is very funny and quirky.

This was being shown on AZN (previously international channel). For the record, before I say anything about this movie, I must say that I love independent movies and usually like low budget movies. But this was an exercise of tolerance. I have seen bad movies, bad in certain aspects. However, this movie hits on lows on every front. The writing is pathetic, acting uggHH.. , every character is miscast. The casting seems to have been done at the local Indian grocery store. Movies in this genre have the added advantage in background scores of being able to try fusion music, however, this one sounded like they combined cell phone rings together. This movie could have been nice, given the premise.. (like Office space, and other similar comedies )The rest of my Sunday can only be better.

At the risk of offending some for whom this perhaps came too close to home, this was and remains an enjoyable movie, a hilarious commentary about Indian software professionals in the Silicon Valley in the 90's. True that Indians have shattered many of the stereotypes in the couple of decades after.

The characters are "regular" Indian software engineers living "regular" lives in the Bay Area; many stereotypes are exaggerated to make a point. The protagonist, Bapu, has a bit of a brain-itch - he is not quite satisfied with all the regularity - he is unable to put a finger on the exact problem, or rather the seeming lack of any problem. He consults a self-proclaimed PhD to debug this problem-less state. The "doctor" assigns him a bunch of cards for 1 week: he is supposed to do what each card says and only look at one card per day. The doctor claims, "by Sunday your problems will be solved - or your money back!"

Bapu, hesitant and skeptical at first, still decides to give this random treatment a go - and what follows is a series of quirky, slightly not-normal incidents. Bapu takes his friends along on this journey of randomness, without revealing to them exactly what he is up to. There are moments of truth weaved through the satire, you experience the subtle change of attitude in the characters as the movie progresses.

I watched this movie when it first came out in 1999 (I was then in the Bay Area), and now, 20 years later, found it again on you-tube. Back then I remember it as impactful and funny. Watching it again, though it was not the same impact, I still appreciated the humor, and it brought nostalgia for that time and place.

The movie is a series of staccato shots with no apparent co-relation to any central theme.

Most of the scenes depicted do not do justice to the average Indian in the bay area. There is a nerd (Murali) who always keeps sharpening his pencil and drops the pencils in his hand whenever someone says a word. There is another scene of a potluck party where there's this guy keeps stuffing food in his mouth. If the intent is to show a single guy gorging at potluck parties, at least let the guy eat off a plate. And I don't know many engineers who stuff an entire samosa and a couple of rasgollas into their mouths at one go.

The depiction of these characters (and almost every other character in the movie) is so unrealistic that a few minutes into the movie, it gets to you. And with an abrupt (and absurd) ending you are left with a distasteful feeling.

Lastly the fact that the movie was made on a shoe string budget and what is clearly inferior equipment is very apparent. The acting, camera work, lighting and sound are all pathetic. All in all, avoidable at all costs.

p.s. I have seen a couple of plays by Naatak company and my advise to them is to stick to drama and not subject unsuspecting audiences to such atrocities.