BOTTOM LINE
Dull, Old-School Family Drama
PLATFORM
JIO HOTATR
RUNTIME
1H 38MINS
What Is the Film About?
Jaishnaviben, a Gujarati elderly woman, who runs a pickle business in her village, is invited to Mumbai by her son Ketan. While Baa expects a warm welcome at her son’s home, she receives a rude shock when the family is off to Darjeeling for a vacation and she is tasked with dog-sitting. Navigating a new city, she makes new friends, and gains fame for her pickles, after her videos go viral.
Performances
There are only three notable faces in the film – Neena Gupta, Kabir Bedi and Vatsal Sheth and all of them deliver neat, commendable performances. The story primarily revolves around Neena’s Jaishnavi and despite being stereotyped in motherly avatars for years, she manages to bring something new to the portrayal.
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Vatsal is decent in a one-dimensional part, while one would’ve wanted a better fleshed-out role for Kabir Bedi (as veterinarian Brijesh). The other supporting cast – comprising Vaishnavi Ganatra, Vandana Pathak, Manasi Rachh and others – match the pitch of the leading counterparts and play their roles with sincerity.
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Analysis
Aachari Baa tells a seemingly simple story, addressing parental neglect and the rural vs urban divide through the lens of an enterprising mother, who runs a pickle business for livelihood. The treatment, as the premise suggests, is largely one-dimensional. The villagers are full of life, caring for one another in the hour of need, while the son, who now lives in a city, has lost touch with his roots.
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In the company of a helper Kaushal and a few friends, Jaishnavi never feels lonely back in her village. All hell breaks loose when her son Ketan, who has barely spoken to her over a decade, requests her to come to Mumbai. She struggles to find her groove in a fast-paced city and feels alienated in her son’s home. Soon, she’s left to manage a dog, while his son’s family heads for a vacation.
At best, the story is suited for a short film, unravelling the trauma the elderly lot experience when displaced from their homes and are treated indifferently by their wards in the big-bad world. While it’s okay to revisit an old-school tale (that served as a template for films in the 80s and TV soaps later), it has nothing new to offer now and banks on its cast and familiar emotions to deliver the goods.
The one major point that Aachari Baa puts across quite effectively early on in the film – you don’t need ties of blood to treat someone as family. She learns the lesson rather quickly in Mumbai when the neighbours and strangers in an apartment acknowledge her presence better than her son (who has no voice in the house). Yet, she finds a way to tackle the tricky phase with restraint.
The treatment largely reminds you of the Paresh Rawal, Ajay Devgn starrer Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge, where a distant elderly uncle of the protagonist settles down in his house out of the blue and loses his way in the city. While the film had many more layers in the story (adapted from a Hindi short story), there’s not much scope for nuance in Aachari Baa.
Aachari Baa employs all the cliches you expect in a story around a rural character who’s moved to a big city – there’s a Ganesh aarti, a hint of a new romantic interest, a peek of the hustle culture where the scope for decorum doesn’t exist. There’s a minor upgrade here, where technology is portrayed as a tool that widens her horizons. It also encourages the elderly to have their own identity.
While the message of Aachari Baa is appreciable, it is too uni-layered, and predictable to hold your attention – even if the runtime is just around 100 minutes. A couple of hummable songs and cinematography complement the performances. The film’s appeal is restricted to a limited audience, though it could’ve done better in not alienating the urban-bred crowd (as indifferent, cold beings).
Watch Aachari Baa only if you have lots of time to kill.
Music and Other Departments?
Prasad S, who composed the songs and the score, brings raw energy (using a mix of folk and melodic tunes) and enthusiasm to the proceedings with his effort. Shreyes Anil Lowlekar’s dialogues and screenplay would have benefited from a modern-day upgrade. Cinematographer Hrishikesh Gandhi creates a striking contrast between the village and city settings and ensures a visually appealing film. Despite the 100-minute length, the film still feels stretched.
Highlights?
Decent story
Good performances
Technically efficient product
Drawbacks?
Outdated treatment
Lacks any new perspective
Feels stretched
Did I Enjoy It?
Only in parts
Will You Recommend It?
No, but if you like old-fashioned family dramas you can give it a try.
Aachari Baa Movie Review by M9
