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The Invisible Man is here!
By ZIYA US SALAM
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"Gayab" is built on a sound edifice of make-believe. But there is more to it than just the mischievous deeds of a loveable hero.
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GAYAB
(At Delite and other Delhi theatres)
PRAWAAL RAMAN'S second shot at filmdom glory, Gayab is built on a sound edifice of make-believe. And if you can allow yourself a moment of willing suspension of belief, it is quite a charmer! As the title suggests, it is the story of a man who disappears; Mr. Invisible who can see everything but nobody can see him. It has predictable light moments when our man goes out to beat the bad guys, romance the beautiful girl, and the like. That is the time the audience moves with Raman and the film establishes itself as a little winner.
But there is more to Gayab than just the mischievous deeds of a failure in life. There is that enduring emotional strand that gives the film its lifeline and makes you empathise with the hero who won't hurt a fly but is forever at the receiving end. The young man is not some Superman or Spiderman who has come calling, wooing the kids with toffee, saving damsels in distress and bashing the bad men.
He is actually an ordinary guy, a salesman who cannot sell a water purifier, a man who cannot fight for his rights on the road or at home. He is fooled by strangers outside and browbeaten by his mother at home. He has no colour, no spice. He cannot ride a bike, he cannot get a girl. That is until the time he stumbles upon God and has his prayer answered! Then it is time for mirth and merriment, as he fulfils all his little wishes. One moment, he bashes up the guy who had smacked him earlier, next moment he sees his domineering mother cowering as inanimate objects fly at home. He can move things, he can ride a bike, he can even rob a bank. Without anyone ever laying a finger on him. But there is one thing he cannot do: No matter what he does, seen or unseen, rich or poor, he cannot win his girl! And therein lies the film's greatest appeal, though that is also the time the editor could have done with sharper scissors and a ruthlessness that comes only to the dispassionate. By the way, it has some perfectly avoidable songs; songs that seem to be designed with nothing more in mind than giving the viewers a popcorn or toilet break!
The songs may be tasteless distractions here, as indeed is Antara Mali, whose attempt at seeming desirable leaves a lot to be desired, but no such problems confront Tusshar. He is present all the way through in Gayab, he is the life, blood, breath and everything of this film. He was quite okay as an ordinary guy in his debut film, Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai. He is better here in a role designed to highlight his modest looks. He makes ordinariness a rare virtue, and carries the film on his vulnerable, if gullible looks. As for Raman, well, one hopes Darna Mana Hai and Gayab are first steps in his artistic journey, not the destination. Watch Gayab at ease. Some of its moments are going to stay with you.
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Coimbatore
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