Being Cyrus...not much to do with being a Parsi. Review on Being Cyrus

Being Cyrus is a good film by a first-time director. It is the story of an oddball Parsi family. Dinshaw Sethna, (Naseeruddin Shah) a retired sculptor of international repute, is living out the rest of his days in a drug-induced haze with his beloved clay and plants, with his younger, flirtatious, loud and frustrated wife, Katy (Dimple Kapadia) - they live in Panchgani by default. Dinshaw’s father, a getting-more-senile-by-the-day neglected old man, has left the sprawling family home in Panchgani to Dinshaw, while Dinshaw’s younger brother, Faroukh (Boman Irani) inherits a whole (but dilapidated) building in Bombay. Here, among other old and forgotten residents, live Faroukh, his father and his wife

Cyrus (Saif Ali Khan) a young man in search of some answers, has had a childhood that was anything but pleasant, and who with his sister, grew up in foster homes. He happens to land up in Panchgani to apprentice with Dinshaw, who had apparently advertised for an associate. Katy is ever so pleased to have this hunk of a young man living in her house, and loses no opportunity to brush against him and flaunt her assets, in front of his hesitant but willing eyes. He becomes a member of their family and does everything in the house.

It is a good film made by a first-time director and has a sense of intrigue in it, with the viewer wondering where the story is headed – Katy seduces Cyrus into doing her bidding, or so she thinks. All the actors have done absolute justice to their roles, but then again that was to be expected, of such a fine ensemble. Naseeruddin Shah is one of the finest actors in India, but he could have sleep-walked through this role, it did not require any effort on his part. The director has perhaps chosen to downplay the quirkiness of an old Parsi. A more memorable rendering of the quintessential Parsi man, is Naseer’s portrayal of “Pestonjee”, in a film of the same name.

Boman Irani is brilliant as Faroukh, the typically Parsi, aging, selfish and quarrelsome younger brother, who after advertising for many years finally manages to land himself, a young and beautiful wife (Simone Singh) the only woman who responds to his ad. They make an odd couple, who live together, but as if leading their own separate lives. Why that is, we find out later, as the story unravels, and what a dark tale it is.

The film is disjointed in places. The first attempt to make a film of this nature is noteworthy, but a little more finesse was required in the handling of some of the scenes, especially those where Cyrus hears the voices in his head. The police inspector is well portrayed as the obnoxious and violent man he is supposed to be, who unwittingly plays a part, in the larger scheme of things. The most depressing scenes are those with Dinshaw and Faroukh’s father – symbolizing the terrible and heart-rending loneliness and neglect, that old people are forced to live in, and their utter dependence on children who simply don’t care.

I saw the film because it has a cast of such fine actors and I am fascinated by different cultures, this one showing the inter-twining lives of members of a Parsi family. The earlier media reviews portrayed it as a comedy, it is more a tale of sorrow. The twist near the end was well done – sort of putting into place all the earlier pieces of the jigsaw. ‘Being Cyrus’ is alright for die-hard movie buffs to see, but not necessarily a brilliant film, a bit sad, if anything