Director: Ben Rekhi
Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Boman Irani, Divya Dutta, Sukant Goel, Chandan Roy Sanyal
Where to watch: In theatres
Rating: 3 stars
It’s a given that every Friday changes the fate of actors. But some actors' fates need no validation - not just from Friday, but any day of the week! Actors like Manoj Bajpayee, Boman Irani and Divya Dutta fall into this category. This week’s release Last Man in Tower, features this trio together. Whether they can prove that ‘Three is not a crowd, but a crowd puller’ at the box office remains to be seen.
The film starts off with the introduction of the film’s protagonist Vijay Mishra (Manoj Bajpayee), an extremely loved-by-all tuition teacher aka ‘master ji’ who stays in a dilapidated residential building in Mumbai’s Vakola area. Whenever his neighbour Mrs Puri (Divya Dutta) is busy, he does not mind stepping in to care for her autistic son.
Vijay has a son Gaurav (Sukant Goel), who prefers to live separately with his family because he is angry with his father. Despite all this, Vijay visits Gaurav’s house to spend time with his grandson. Sensing the loopholes in Vijay’s Vishram Society, the opportunist Dharmen Shah (Boman Irani) dreams of constructing a huge complex on the prime land.
After Vijay and a couple of elderly residents refuse to give up their homes for redevelopment because of personal memories attached to them, Dharmen, then, resorts to his set of manipulations to achieve his dream. What happens to Masterji and the others, and the fate of their society, forms the rest of the film.
Actors' performance
The film rests firmly on the shoulders of Manoj Bajpayee and Divya Dutta (see the restaurant scene to know what we are talking about), whose USP is the relatability quotient they offer. Because of this, viewers are bound to find immense resonance. The fact that they don’t go overboard with their characters makes it even more relatable.
The veteran superstars Boman Irani and Chandan Roy Sanyal do total justice to their respective roles, as does Sukant Goel. Other actors carry the film forward without giving any room or reason to complain.
Direction, Music and Aesthetics
The film (which is an adaptation of a book by the same name) has been directed by Ben Rekhi, who scores a perfect ace with her craft. Full marks to her for presenting the main leads in a fresh form without looking stereotyped, considering they have done similar roles in the past.
Special mention to the film’s near flawless writing (Sooni Taraporevala), and its dialogues (Juhi Chaturvedi). The film's cinematography (Rangarajan Ramabadran) and editing (Meghna Manchanda Sen) offer solid support. The film’s music (Govind Vasantha) could have been better.
FPJ verdict
Despite the many positive factors, the film lacks the major positive – its publicity! But this film is surely a masterclass in acting. Do watch it before the theatre guys tell you, “Aapko hamaare Theatre mein nahi dekhne hua toh kya… OTT par jald hi dekh lena.”
