What if the melodrama of Baghban (2003) and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) is mixed half-heartedly with an Americanised coming-of-age film? That sums up Binny And Family for you. The Ssanjay Tripaathy directorial is tedious and mostly unrewarding.
Set in London, the film revolves around a rebellious teenager, Binny (played by Anjini Dhawan in her film debut), and her conflicted relationship with her parents and grandparents. It could be thought of as a worthy setup to explore the complexities of the generational gap and the shifting of values. However, for the most part, it remains comfortably flavourless.
Take, for instance, the superficial handling of the ‘girl meets boy’ scene early on in the film. Binny is part of a drama club in school, serving as the director of a play. She has a crush on Dhruv (Tai Khan), who keeps calling her ‘Tarantino’ throughout the film. There is no spark in their dynamic, leading to a bunch of awkward scenes that lack chemistry and don’t even establish their characters. When she is invited to Dhruv’s place to discuss the play, they end up talking about the iconic painting, ‘The Son of Man’ by the Belgian surrealist René Magritte.
It hangs rather indifferently on a wall showing a green apple covering the face of a man in a suit. Speaking about the painting, Magritte had said, “Everything we see hides another thing, we always want to see what is hidden by what we see.” What exactly is hiding beneath this scene? Dullness?
The lack of rigour persists even in the emotional graphs of the characters. They are either too loud or instantly submissive. Binny’s grandparents visit her house for two months every year, inviting unwelcoming whines from her. This deepens the clash between Binny and her father, Vinay (Rajesh Kumar), who is also a doting son. Their loud arguments take up space until Binny is forced to budge and agree to share her room with her grandparents.
There is a serious absence of rhythm in the writing where scenes don’t really leave an impact. Most gags are left incomplete. Repetitive scenarios populate the plot, adding little to the character development. Much of it seems like a convoluted attempt in becoming something which it is not. The teenage angst of Binny starts to feel misplaced without the right kind of release, making it seem to come out more from entitlement than suppressed emotions.
Anjini’s performance doesn’t make much difference, either. She does emote to the best of her capacity in some instances, yet it never shortens the distance we feel from her. She cries, she shouts, she cuddles, she laughs—all without a degree of impact. Maybe it’s the screen presence that’s not as appealing, maybe it’s the writing that is not letting her do more. Maybe it’s both.
Rajesh Kumar tries to liven up the narrative whenever he is on screen as he embodies a patient father, who is caught in the middle of the two extreme generations. Yet, there’s more to his show than we get to see here. It is ultimately Pankaj Kapur who brings in much more to his performance than what seems to be written. It is the way he says his lines that is bound to spark up smiles on otherwise straight faces. The playful innocence in the manner in which he says, ‘Ji’, is enough to bring poetry into a scene.
Binny And Family takes a flight towards the final act where the relationship between her and her grandfather blossoms. Be it the inside jokes that only the two of them understand or his efforts to imbibe the culture of London, all of it leaves a joyful undercurrent. Yet, it is criminally short-lived.
The film soon returns to its bland momentum. There’s an abrupt crescendo to be reached, a melodramatic resolution to arrive at, and a flimsy ‘moral of the story’ speech to be given. What’s there to take from all of this anyway?
BINNY AND FAMILY
Cast: Pankaj Kapur, Anjini Dhawan, Manam Tripathy, Rajesh Kumar, Himani Shivpuri
Director: Ssanjay Tripaathy