Page 120 - Final june 2018 converted and proofed for flipbook
P. 120
Story predicament is his youngest
An ageing widower can’t let go grandkid Anu (Kabir Sajid), a
of his antiquated photocopy cricket-loving and commentary-
machine, which occupies too spouting kid who is forever onto
much space and breaks down
constantly, leading to friction in the next mischief. When Nagesh’s
younger son Nitin (Naveen
his family.
Kasturia) who works in Dubai,
shows up with a state-of-the-art
Review photocopier, Nagesh has to come
Letting go is tough, be it
with people or with things. to terms with retiring the machine,
which has almost become a friend.
For Nagesh Shrivastav
(Naseeruddin Shah), it is Several sub-stories run through
almost unthinkable when ‘Hope Aur Hum’, almost all of
it is time to discard his
faithful old photocopy which deal with themes of old
versus new, letting destiny take
machine that has served its own course and even the more
him well for decades. Mr serious ones that deal with guilt
Sonnichsen, as he calls and death. The entire segment
the machine, is the only
link to his glorious past as where little Anu fights an inner
battle about an act of his that
a copier for ministers and could have serious repercussions
bureaucrats. His eldest wife, practicality supersedes nostalgia. is shown beautifully by the filmmaker and
son Neeraj (Aamir Bashir), who is forever The machine occupies space that their the young actor Kabir. Another place where
chasing the elusive promotion at work, daughter could use as a study room. The the film scores well is the casting, which
almost understands why, but for Neeraj’s only one who really understands Nagesh’s
helps make it even more believable and
the characters relatable. The dialogues,
too, crack you up every now and then,
which help because the film dabbles
often with philosophical subjects. While
the philosophising doesn’t get too heavy,
towards the end one feels there could
have been a better, more layered payoff
rather than the simple one that is served.
The film is more interesting in parts, while
the whole feels a bit disjointed. A tighter
script could have helped, but for now the
little gags in the film work just fine.
120 |DALLAS | JUNE 2018 | VOL 153 www.thebmagazine.com
