‘Vijay 69’ movie review: Anupam Kher dives into the channel of mediocrity

Anupam Kher as Vijay Mathu in ‘Vijay 69’ Photo credit: Talib Amrohi/Netflix

One day, at the age of 70, a dirty-faced man realizes that there are no achievements in his life that will keep him alive for the next generation. A national-level swimmer who hasn’t tried hard enough to change the color of his bronze medal, Vijay Mathew (Anupam Kher) is a plain old looking for gold dust. Having lost his supportive wife to cancer, he is withering from the inside and looking bored on the outside. Still, he hasn’t given up on the magic of life and doesn’t want those around him to undermine his shake of faith when an opportunity presents itself. Vijay decides to participate in a grueling triathlon competition to record the book and give back some of his friends who stood by him.

Writer-director Akshay Roy has a promising premise about a complex character we can relate to but the film fails to give him the wheels to keep distance. On paper, it reads like an episode of Anupam’s popular drama Kuch bhi ho sakta hai One that celebrates the extraordinary leaps that ordinary life can take. However, it works like a PowerPoint presentation to sell victory to a disbelieving audience, with slides touching on obvious obstacles in the unlikely hero’s path, without tying into a compelling story or creating an engaging experience. Instead of infusing emotion into the narrative, Roy returns to Asha Bhosle’s number “Age Vi Jaane Na Tu…”. the time (1965) to underline the essence of the picture.

A daughter who doesn’t want to challenge her father due to health reasons, friends who believe in his cause but not his age, a young competitor who crosses his path, the need for a sponsor for equipment and gear, and above all the desire to fulfill a promise to his dead wife — Roy writes all the necessary paragraphs but with the efficiency of a machine manual where the characters are reduced to caricatures to carry out the work of the joke.

With a little thought, it sounds like an ad promoting triathlon, the new fad among fitness enthusiasts of all ages. It’s good to see Chunky Pandey back as Vijay’s Parsi doctor friend but it feels like he’s been asked to exaggerate his pasta performance. housefull Mihir Ahuja as the young franchise participant who forms a bond with Vijay, Guddi Maruti as the healthy caretaker and Brijesh Hirji as the good-natured coach, offer some hope but the makers seem keen to play understated characters with too much expression.

Anupam Kher as Vijay Mathu in ‘Vijay 69’ Photo credit: Talib Amrohi/Netflix

At a time when OTT platforms are vying for the attention of viewers who, until recently, were glued to mainstream entertainment channels, the film has turned out to be a pitch for a television serial about an old man’s quirks. Made on the same lines, by Suraj Barjati highWhere Anupam started melodrama with Amitabh Bachchan, made an impact. Interestingly, Anupam stars as Vijay, and is distributed by Yash Raj Films high has produced Victory 69.

It goes without saying that Anupam can easily whip up emotions with the script. Known to play older characters with surprising gusto from a young age, Anupam gets to act his age here and there are moments where he introduces us to Vijay’s desperation and motivation. However, there are many soap ingredients around and little intention from manufacturers to take some of it highThe veteran creates bubbles out of thin air.

Vijay 69 is currently streaming on Netflix