ONE OF THE BEAUTIFUL MOVIES

MOVIE : THAI MASSAGE

DIRECTED BY : MANGESH HADAWALE

WRITTEN BY : MANGESH HADAWALE

STARRING : GAJRAJ RAO, DIVYENDU SHARMA, ALINA ZASOBINA

MUSIC BY : AJAY JAYATHI

RELEASE DATE: 11 NOVEMBER 2022

RUNNING TIME : 122 MINUTES

COUNTRY : INDIA

LANGUAGE : INDIA

 

PLOT

Atmaran Dubey, a middle-class 70-year widower who has remained celibate for decades is aware that he most likely will never have sex. This awakening makes him embark on outrageous voyage of self-discovery that defies society standards.

STORY

The story is about Atmaran Dubey (Gajraj Rao) with his family. Although he has the family, he cannot share his thoughts to his family. One day, he discovers that he is having trouble getting an erection. With the grief, he attempts to jump off a bridge one night. There he meets Divyendu and they both become friends. Atmaran hares his problem and they come with the game plan. Of course, he can’t solicit the services of a sex worker in his home town — the movie is set in Ujjain, by the way, where everybody appears to know everybody — and so, influenced by his new friend, Atmaram decides to secretly travel to Thailand and partake in some local culture. Just kidding, he wants to do ‘boom boom’.

But this happens post-interval, which might make you (rightfully) wonder how the movie spends the preceding hour or so. There’s no way to sugar-coat it; it basically wastes everybody’s time, including its own. There’s a mopey framing device that involves Atmaram narrating his adventures to his two disapproving sons, and a subplot about Atmaram’s trial-and-error approach to curing his erectile dysfunction. But the movie actually comes into its own after Atmaram touches down in Bangkok.

There, he meets a couple of colourful characters, who become his companions in this exotic new land. Atmaram, you must remember, had never travelled outside his district, let alone the country. And after a meandering first half in which it offers little to write home about, Thai Massage, in its second half… offers more of the same, albeit in a more purposeful manner. There’s an interesting subplot involving a carefree young Russian woman with whom Atmaram strikes a genuine friendship, but the resolution of this arc is deeply unsatisfying, just like the movie’s attempts to unpack Atmaram’s troubled relationship with his sons. But you have to hand it to Hadawale, though; even though he keeps dropping the ball more often than not, the juggling act doesn’t end.

 CONCLUSION

Even though the concept and thought are commendable, and director Mangesh Hadawle captures the essence of a sleepy town, Ujjain, and its residents’ mentality skillfully, the film lacks tautness. At more than 122 minutes, the narrative becomes long-drawn and sluggish and is low on the quirk quotient that other movies of this vein have. There are a few funny sequences. Aatmaram’s neighbour catches him watching a porn film as he doesn’t know how to turn the computer off, and his young grandson is blamed for it. His flight journey to Bangkok and the exchange with his co-passenger will also elicit giggles.

The latter half takes the audience to Bangkok, which is depicted beautifully — especially Phuket’s Khao Sok Lake, where Aatmaram travels with a female Russian blogger. The picturesque milieu will make your jaws drop.

Gajraj show once again impresses with his finessed performance in the comic and emotional scenes. Divyendu does a good job, too, but his character is underdeveloped. He neither passes off as a mischiefmaker nor a sensitive guy, and his motive or motivation to help Aatmaram is absurd. Santulan gets the old-timer a passport, a smartphone, and a girl for ‘boom boom’ but says it’s a prank, whereas he seems to be championing the latter. Rajpal Yadav makes a cameo appearance, which is intended to be hilarious, but it falls flat and does not take the story forward in any manner.

Thai Massage has some poignant moments, especially when Aatmaram gives an explanation to his son or reminisces about his young wife and his equation with the Russian traveller. While you may enjoy it intermittently, overall, the movie is underwhelming.
REFERENCES

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/thai-massage/movie-review/95432956.cms