Hope Aur Hum
Hindi (U)
Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Sonali Kulkarni, Naveen Kasturia, Aamir Bashir, Kabir Sajid
Director: Sudip Bandhyopadhay
Rating: 2.5 stars
"Love people, not things," mutters Naseeruddin Shah's Nagesh as he tries to convince his heart to let go of his beloved broken photocopying machine, even as he can't help but hope that it will be fixed.
The family drama, Hope Aur Hum, is, after all, just that. A story about letting go – of material attachment, fears and a wish to control one's destiny.
The themes are repeated over and over again as Hope Aur Hum takes the viewers on a ride through Nagesh's family.
While his sons are dealing with grown-ups' issues (promotion, finding love and lost phone), his little grandson, Anu (Sajid Kabir) is surrounded by his own 'supernatural drama'.
After Shah, the tiny actor, Kabir, has the most screen time in the movie. Perhaps due to one of its themes, the see-saw between the 'old and the new'.
In between the extremes, there are parallel storylines running in the film, which makes the viewer wonder what does it really wish to convey!
What all these storylines have in common are cliches like 'facing one's destiny' and 'old is gold'. With images of death, end and revival, the movie is blessed with some heart-touching moments and natural performances by Shah, Kabir and Sonali Kulkarni.
In the first half, these same cliches look heartwarming. With the world turning materialistic beyond repair, these themes strike a chord as Nagesh remarks about old things – "Bekaar nahi yaadgaar".
But when Mamaji's 40-year-old vintage car breaks down in the film, you fear that the symbolism might be evoked again. And well, it is.
After the interval, it turns repetitive and boring. You just hope that all these storylines eventually merge somewhere and give the film a meaningful end.
And the film does come back in circle and end where it all started, in hope.