Review: 'Emotional Atyachar' is only for the mature

The Film Emotional Atyachar (A)
Director: Akshay Shere
Cast: Mohit Ahlawat, Kalki Koechlin, Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey, Ravi Kissen, Abhimanyu Singh
Rating: **1/2

The promotional machinery harped about The Film Emotional Atayachar being a “road thriller with black humour”. A road thriller it is, but the creative hands failed to sculpt a comprehensive storyline, topping it with humour that is bland, not dark.

A bagful of money can be the cause of varied human emotions; it can also be all you need to make a dark film like Emotional Atyachar. Director Akshay Shere binds together assorted characters like a desperate businessman (Ahlawat), wannabe goon Junior Bhai (Kissen), ‘virgin Casanova’ Bosco (Singh) and annoying yet likeable corrupt cops Joe (Pathak) and Leslie (Shorey) with a smart, non-linear narrative.

The sharp and quick editing and style of story-telling are compelling and Shere does a commendable job. Sometimes desperation and most times human greed drive all our anti-heroes to shoot, steal and shove. Among the male-dominated cast is a street-smart, “dangerous” and manipulative Sophie (Koechlin), happily abducted and on the run with Joe and Leslie.

Before the interval, the film looks like a mishmash of isolated events unfolding in the casinos of Goa and the Mumbai-Goa highway. Expert editing, time moving back and forth, puts all these events into context.

Emotional Atyachar depends heavily on stereotypes for the names and look of its cast. Ahlawat is top class as the anxious businessman, while Koechlin as the muse is underused. The role is not so challenging for the talented Koechlin, who was last seen as the seductive Chanda in Dev.D. Cops Pathak and Shorey are shamelessly crooked. Some over-the-top acting and their humour make you cringe, as only Pathak finds his jokes funny.

Kissen looks comfortable in his skin, with his signature guffaw enhancing the underlying dark tones. They don’t mind a few gunshots here and there as long as Leslie has Sophie, Joe has Bosco and both earn a quick shady buck. Hitenbhai (Anand Tiwari) as the paranoid Gujju (a cheap stereotype again) needs special mention. This theatre actor, last seen as Saurabh in Aisha, is surely going a long way in Bollywood with his versatile and quirky disposition.

The film borrows its name from a Dev.D song that drove a lot of fans crazy. Expecting that kind of fan following for the unimpressive soundtrack of Emotional Atyachar may be asking for too much. But the music by Mangesh Dhadke definitely lends character to the hurried narrative.

If you like happy endings, Emotional Atyachar is not for you. Watch it only if you can handle the grey shades in human personas.