Mithya

Mithya (thriller)
Cast: Ranvir Shorey, Neha Dhupia, Naseeruddin Shah
Direction: Rajat Kapoor

PARALLEL cinema seems to have made a comeback in Bollywood, but with a different set of rules. Instead of making films that want to change society, our alternate filmwallahs are wanting to expand creativity, allowing space for an alternate cinema that thrives beyond the formula. And with a whole new crop of young film savants entering the business, viewers can gear up for an exciting crop of films in the next few years. Case in point: Mithya which re-visits Don , but with a difference.

VK (Ranvir Shorey) is the struggling Bollywood actor who practises Hamlet in his decrepit barsati, while doing twopenny roles for a living. Like, playing the corpse who falls dead on the table with his back turned towards the camera. But VK's luck changes when he is abducted and supplanted in the shoes of a dreaded Don, simply because the junior artist resembles the mobster who has angered the rival gang, headed by Naseeruddin Shah. Does his luck change for better or worse, who knows? Because soon, the down and out actor is enjoying the perks of a gangster and determining underworld policy, when he's not playing with the Bhai's kids or having a midnight cuppa with his wife. So what was real and what was mithya: standing in the queue for a bit role in studios or financing producer's films with ill-gotten wealth? Before our poor hero can find the answer, he is caught in the crossfire of gang warfare and finds himself at the end of the road, quoting Hamlet once again. to be or not to be....

Rajat Kapoor has successfully picked up the formula and transmuted it into a stylish gangsta rap that is strictly meant for the viewer who likes his cinema unconventional and edgy. The performances are riveting, with Ranvir Shorey playing the pivotal role with pizzazz and Neha Dhupia adding aah-tittude to the gangster's moll, resplendent in '60s style sartorial splendour. The rest of the gang -- Naseer, Saurabh Shukla, Harsh Chayya, Vinay Pathak -- are in fine fettle, providing a strong scaffolding for the Alternate Actors Inc.