Review of Mod

Mod (2011)
4/10
Had Potential
27 April 2016
Warning: Spoilers
The one thing I cannot deny about this film is that it has its heart in the right place. Unfortunately, it makes several errors that are hard to ignore.

The movie begins well with a simplistic feel. It focuses on the issue of a father waiting morbidly for his wife, who is never to return. Correctly in her place, the daughter is tired of this wait. This point is well connected in the story later. However, in the dull moments of the film where it drags needlessly, it would have been nice to be introduced to the protagonist's mother in flashbacks.

It then moves on to some fan moments of the director as he pays homage to the legendary singer Kishore Kumar. This track was totally unnecessary to the plot, and a mere indulgence on the part of the director. He could have at least connected it by having the protagonist be a singer rather than a mouth organ player later. When things are so forced, the film seems to be straying all over.

Then comes the actual plot where Andy meets Aranya.It's stretched out,yet interesting as a mystery surrounds the air. Who is Andy? Is he really Andy? And the film then goes to the track of DID which was also introduced in Bhool Bhulaiyya, and I have the same complaint here, it is not given the footage it deserves. You don't take a rare major disorder and treat it like a typical car accident. I also had major issue with the fact that the poor protagonist who is blamed for something she had no hand in, is not given enough character for the audience to sympathize with.

Then comes an absolutely unrequired track of a money lender trying to buy off the protagonist by forgiving her loan. This gave me a complete Dor nostalgia and made me wonder about the director's obsession with female buying tracks. Is it not enough to have expressed it through one film? Finally, the protagonist believes love can cure an illness much better than therapy can. And this is what made me feel that the film has its heart in the right place. Unfortunately, I was very confused about what the protagonist wanted. Did she want Andy as she always claimed that she loved Andy? This means that she never wanted Abhay to be cured of his DID. That gave me the creeps. She took him away from Etc which was great. But what about further therapy? What did she plan on that? On the upside, the film is made with a lot of simplicity, and is narrated without unnecessary dramatization. Ranvijay has done a brilliant job here of showcasing two personalities without engaging in antics. Some songs also give a nice, humble feel.

On the downside, which is heavy here, Ayesha's acting is not emotive enough. Yes, she is a tough girl. but even the toughest melt to some extent in unexpected times. The songs were needless and boring for the most. And the worst part of this film was its very half hearted attempt to explore a different and likable take on a much discussed mental disorder. The perspective of love. Not what I expected from this remarkable director.
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