Watched this in memory of Irfan Khan; the specialty of Irfan the actor clearly was in his ability to shun melodrama and rely mostly on his ability to react which made his skill sets suitable for film. His ability to emote can be clearly contrasted with his co-actor Nawazuddin who I would argue is a more versatile actor. Irfan was a director’s actor, like an Indian Chishu Ryu, who understood his limitations which is rare to find in mainstream Indian cinema. His role in this film is probably the highlight of his career although the film itself could have benefited from avoiding the semblance of a happy ending.
To the films credit, it’s delightful use of montage, the sparseness of dialogue; excellent use of space - which is a commodity whether at homes, streets or public transport; the abundance of people but lack of true friends; the constant money woes and finally the insightful letter writing give a fairly accurate and bitter sweet portrait of life in Mumbai city.
