If you intend to watch the Amitabh Bachchan-Rashmika Mandana-Neena Gupta starrer Goodbye, you are in for a pleasant surprise. The film, which is just over 2 hours long, manages to capture the stormy relationship between family members, which comes to the fore after the unfortunate death of the mother.
Amitabh Bachchan plays a brooding father who is by no means patriarchal but is horrified by the carelessness of the family members when they arrive at the funeral. Rashmika Mandana makes a promising Hindi film debut as a lawyer who questions the family’s functioning after her mother’s death. Pavail Gulati and Sahil Mehta play Bachchan’s sons. While Gulati’s character finds it difficult to navigate his professional and personal life after his mother’s death, Mehta comes across as a dutiful son who finds it difficult to come to terms with what has happened.
Then there is Neena Gupta who never stopped being a star. She is a scene stealer. She plays a mother who passionately encourages her children to aim higher in life and not give up on their dreams. He is also the person who can bring a loving and easy-going side to Bachchan’s character. Unfortunately, with her passing, he turns into a gloomy individual, terrified of being alone for the rest of his life.
Bachchan is brilliant as a father who is afraid to open up about his fear to his children. Alone in the big house, he imagines a life without life after the funeral, when his children return to normal life. The fact that they seem casual about it infuriates him even more.
There is also a cameo from Sunil Grover. Grover has a charming presence. Its appearance is smooth and naturally blends with the story. The writing deserves a mention here as well. By injecting dry humor into the sad scheme of things, the audience is not allowed to distract.
Abhishek Khan’s presence at the end of the film is also impressive. Ashish Vidyarthi plays Bachchan’s friend who stands by him through thick and thin. He is of course a seasoned actor who can hold his own in every scene he appears in.
Vikas Bahl poses many questions in his latest film. Loose ends are hard to come by in his film, and even when there are, they are shown to be insignificant and cannot hamper the film’s strengths.
