Review of Zero: Genius

Let me begin by saying that I am no particular fan of Shah Rukh Khan.

But then this is one time I am happy to have been proven wrong.

This is one time I am really grateful to my friend who in his own genteelest way persuaded me to watch Zero.

But I didn’t give in that quickly.

I spent quite a good amount of time in the morning searching if any theatre in Delhi-NCR was playing Badhai Ho or Andhadhun or even Greenspot simply because I didn’t want to watch a Shah Rukh Khan film.

Even though the teaser and trailer looked great and the trailer did raise my curiosity with the rocket lifting off towards the end, I didn't want to watch a SRK film  even with the great gutka and sperm dialogue.

The only Shah Rukha Khan films I have ever admired are Swades, Chak De and Kal Ho Na Ho.

But then my friend insisted that we watch at least Zero for our annual year end catch up over lunch and a movie.

Last year we had a ball over Fukrey Returns and if I were carrying chiller coins in my pocket I would have thrown them at the screen and hooted, given the genius of its writing, direction and acting and its screen by screen entertainment value. I had laughed my jugulars out in that movie.

Compared to that high I wasn’t expecting Zero to be anything great.

And on top of it, my family had watched it on Saturday and they weren’t happy either with my son ripping it apart.

But boy am I happy to have been proven wrong?

Absolutely.

But let me start with a sad note. This film won’t be a super-duper hit if the scene inside the auditorium today is anything to go by.

There must have been hardly 20 odd people for the 1.25 pm show.

The only question that would stick out in any one’s mind no matter what the IQ of the person is how come a person can survive for 15 years in space without food and water.

Nevertheless, for me, this movie is a genius; even if it’s a mis-timed genius; even if it’s far ahead of its times like a Roop ki Rani, Choron ka Raja was in 1992 or even a film like Khuda Gawah in 1992.

It requires empathy and a heart to resonate with the Bauua’s character and a good dose of imagination and fantasy to relate to the film.

It’s not your run-of-the-mill Singham or the forthcoming Simba with which people will relate to without effort. (I wanted to avoid saying relate mindlessly).

Each of the characters have been written so well, cast so well, directed and enacted so well that there is not even one misstep in the film except for that 15 year question I raised earlier.

Other than the theme score of the film, other songs could have been peppy and better to have been able to be on our lips all the time. Still, I won’t count the songs as much in my assessment of the film as a genius.

With the presence of dance masters like Ganesh Acharya and Remo D’Souza one would have expected groovier dance moves as well. They weren’t there either but that still doesn’t take away anything much from what is already present in the soul and intent of the film.

I loved Madhavan’s character for his empathy and understanding and Abhay Deol’s for his beard, understated acting and the subtle mannerisms. Full marks thereon as well.

The best casting for me in the film is of course Tigmanshu Dhulia as Bauua’s father. Hats off to you Anand L Rai for that. I can’t see anyone else do justice to that character. You rock once again Tigmanshu after Ramadhir Singh.

My estimation for Mohammad Zeeshan Ayub grows with each passing film of his that I have seen so far.

The only person I missed in the film is of course Jimmy Shergill but I guess you can’t create a character so small that it would do justice to a power house like him even though the reverse of it need not be true.

Will I watch the film again?

Of course, for the subtle and nuanced micro expressions SRK managed to bring on the face of a midget who’s been at the receiving end all his childhood.

There are moments in the film that’s a sheer pleasure and joy to watch for its screenplay.

That’s all for now given that I can dissect each scene of the film and write a lot on each of them.

I wish word-of-mouth picks up for this film and people watch it and understand that such a story will not be written again; such a character won’t come again; such character-pairings won’t happen again as between a Bauua and Aafia Yusufzai Bhinder.

I remember I had been dragged kicking and screaming by my wife to watch Kal Ho Na Ho in December 2003. But as I exited the hall, I realized that it was a role only SRK could play with such panache and larger-than-life, king size manner even with all those challenging moments of his over acting back then.

As I sat through this film, I realize that it was a great choice on his part to play the character of a midget in a film.

It’s one more great example of the Think Different theme campaign from Apple that came out 21 years ago.

And now I cannot see anyone else in his shoes playing the role of Bauua.

The best film for me to sign off 2018 with even though it wasn’t as edge of the seat of an experience as a Dangal was two years ago. But then it is not fair to compare these two films by any measure as they are totally different from each other.

In the end my only message to the team that made this film: a BIG THANK YOU for making and gifting us this film, even if most people may not be able to relate to it or see the beauty of it as of now.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I go with a 4/5 rating for it. Worth watching again and again a few times.