A Journey Through Time and Bonds: 'The Mehta Boys' Review
‘The Mehta Boys ’depicts an intergenerational conflict of a meandering father and son in a 48 hours existence of exploration of their divergent ideologies. En Route now compels them to confront the themes of their relationship, to investigate the causes of their connection and their future. The trip can be also viewed as inner, as the film provides the viewers with Food for the thought about the essence of kinship. The atmosphere in the movie ranges from positive to negative, thus mirroring the rather turbulent emotional state of the characters. It captures the essence of life in a rather believable manner; there are subtle comedies followed quickly by powerful scenes that are shocking for them and the audience at least. Irani paints picture of a father struggling to get connected which is opposite to that of a rebellious youth depicted by Tiwary. Their chemistry forms the backbone of the movie and the movie also features Shreya Chaudhry and Puja Sarup in important roles. This secures the relevancy of the interesting plot in every scene that feels real and useful with direction from Irani.
The music also plays the right tones to fit the film’s moments, making the plot brilliant through good compositions. The music is melancholic and subtle, and serves as a voice over which lets the audience self-reflect.
The use of camera work when it ties traditional Japan with contemporary context reflects the theme of father-son relationship. Camera work is precise, focusing on the stalking shots, color grading speaks of the movie’s mood and dramatic subtexts.
The visuals depicting the lives of the two protagonists are very convincing; the film’s setting, filled with the emotionally charged atmosphere of the main characters’ memories, makes the audience empathize with them. Focusing on mise-en-scene, the film helps to emphasize the contrast of the East and the West as well as the generation gap. This choice prevents the audience to get distracted from the characters themselves and their development.
The pacing of the movie is consistent, giving the audience piecemeal character backstory and the development of their relationship. Transition between scenes is smooth which makes the audience has no room to get bored as the film moves from one scene to the other.
In terms of its continuity, the film is slow in pace, which depicts the inner transformation of the characters. Such slow development results in building the audience’s emotional attachment, which gives time to people to get the message’ The dialogues in ‘The Mehta Boys’ seem to realistic and meaningful and portray the actual process of the people’s communication and its potential pain. It also gives an inside view of the protagonists and gives an insight into relations of the family members.
At times the movie falls short of being a good drama with some clichéd scenes and moments. Although some of the audience might complain about the slow pace, it is perfectly suitable for portraying the theme of the movie. Profound personalities, touching plot, and arresting musical will leave the spectators thinking about their loved ones and themselves.
