Being Cyrus (2005)

Wonderfully offbeat film!

Absolutely Fantastic

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

First few reels gives you an impression of a documentary giving an insight into a Parsi life.¤ Naseeruddin Shah:: We little mortals have no authority to question/ doubt/ comment on his body of work. Simply put - the act of the dreamer at its best.¤ Saif Ali Khan: Just what the doctor ordered. Nobody could have fitted the role like "hand-in-glove" as Saif did.¤ Dimple Kapadia: The "come-hither-passes" are neatly done, not a hint of slightest crass in it.¤ Boman Irani: If you loved him in "Munnabhai MBBS", you will hate him in this one. The word "Pappah!" will ring in your ears. Simply put – he gets into the skin of the character.¤ Simone Singh: "Miss-Goody-Two-Shoes" act done perfectly.¤ Honey Chayya: Man, even his performance is so very genuine that you feel pity for "Fardounjee". Pay attention to the subtle nuances.¤ Manoj Pahwa:: Luckily doesn't go OTT but still slightly loud.A lot of effort has been put in pre-production which is visible in the witty script, tight screenplay, camera handling, dark toned look of the movie and the way the story unfolds/ narrated.And yes, the last 20-minutes sweeps your feet away.Where are you hiding Homi Adajania, roll on!

Being Cyrus is a film that nudges you gently into the world of a dysfunctional Parsi family, exposes the cracks in it through the eyes of a character who has his own idiosyncrasies.Much unlike the Bollywood films where everything is open and in your face, 'Being Cyrus' speaks in subtle metaphors. Several threads in the story are interconnected at various points of unraveling and the denouement is sure to take you by surprise.'Being Cyrus' hardly looks like a debut attempt at direction. Homi Adajania has made a very slick movie that has elements of Film Noir. Added to that, the movie deftly balances its grave and pessimistic shades with quaint humour, courtesy Boman Irani and Manoj Pahwa.Irani needs a special mention for his performance in the film. He is thees interwoven at crucial moments in the screenplay. The background musi contemptible, loathsome, uncaring man who also displays moments of satirical, derisive humour. Particularly worth noting is the sequence in which he picks up fight with his neighbor.Equally impressive is Manoj Pahwa in his marginal role as the police inspector. Pahwa chips in some good comic moments in this otherwise serious fare.Saif Ali Khan fits extremely well into his complex character of Cyrus Mistry. Naseeruddin Shah, as usual, excels in the role he portrays. Playing Parsi characters is particularly Shah's forte. Dimple Kapadia is adequate, but there are certain scenes in which hamming is quite apparent.'Being Cyrus' is certainly a piece of good quality cinema. The movie's story unspools at a rhythmic pace with dream sequencc and the story's ambient setting have a haunting feel.

I went into this movie expecting a movie that tries to to hard to be different and got just that.From the beginning of the movie you know that its going another one of those movies made by people who fail to realise the more they try to be different the more they become the same.The same old story of the complicated guy with a twisted past and maybe a twisted future hell how different is that. there must have been at least a million so called arty movies made on that theme.This movie tried just to hard to be different and suffered for it. the only likable part of the movie are the stereotypes the old bawa buildings the bawa insults and bawa quirkiness the hard d's, the old bawa charsis,etc each and every stereotype was lovable. it makes you wonder..... what obsession do filmmakers have with being different.The other thing going for this movie is the very short length at little less than 90 minutes you can even ignore the not so good acting. Saif ali khan should stick to his sweety roles he started of talking like a perfect bawa like very one else started but by the end of the movie the accent looked very very fake and tended to disappear completely.Also the end was quite predictable (warning here i get them almost fully right 9.5 times out of ten). The acting was strictly OK only Boman and naseeudin shone above the rest but thats not saying much considering the OK acting. The background music is non-existent and save for a few funny scenes this movie is quite boring.All in all an OK movie which could have been much better. Do go for it if you like these kind of art-house movies with no meaning then go watch this movie.

I watched the movie after reading all the reviews N was expecting a movie that will reveal the dark secrets of a Parsi family. But it turned out to be completely different, it's no family movie, but a dark thriller. And as the director of the movie says, 'Can happen to anybody, not necessarily a Parsi family' which is very much true.The premise of the movie is very simple, Cyrus comes to a Parsi family staying in Panchgani, starts an affair with Katy (Dimple). And after that starts the actual plot of the movie. Cyrus is paid some money by Dimple to do something and he leaves for Mumbai. There we meet the rest of the family and see its real face. But that's not all... as the movie progresses, you come to know the purpose with which Cyrus has come to Mumbai. There's one more plot running simultaneously in the movie... which is revealed only in the end... which was quite a surprise and something new. Definitely good for one time watch.Where the movie lags is its Hollywood style of story telling and editing, though I found it OK as I watch quite a few Hollywood movies, I don't think many ppl will enjoy it that much. Secondly, the movie is dark and does not tell the good vs evil kinda story... its really very different. Technically the movie is good but is confusing at times, especially the dream sequences and scenes that follow after first murder. Tough I liked the movie, I don't think many ppl will digest the theme, coz the movie is promoted as a movie telling tale of a Parsi family, but in the end its something different. Moreover a lot of things are told in 90 mins, that can leave the audience guessing at times...N honestly speaking, the Fat inspector was not at all required, they cud have done with a normal size Cop who speaks a bit less. I guess the director brought him in for some comic relief which I guess was not required... coz the movie was with its normal characters OK.If you want to try something different, watch it... its a good movie... but a bit twisted.