Friday Night Plan
Introduction
Onto the next release of the weekend and I finished watching the new Hindi film Friday Night Plan which is now streaming on Netflix. Often as a reviewer, you are split in two types of content. One is when you require tremendous focus on the unfolding events while also activating the knack of reading between the lines. The other is when you just want to put your feet up and enjoy the leisurely drama. And I did long for the latter since quite some time now(the same cannot be extended to content from languages other than English or Hindi as the focus is generally on the English subtitles). So I was quite looking forward to watching Friday Night Plan while also curious on how Babil Khan will fare in his second Netflix outing with a film that is generally in his age demographic. So then does Friday Night Plan manage to impress, lets find out.
Story & Screenplay
Friday Night Plan follows the story of two brothers who decide to attend a happening Friday Night Party oblivious to their mom who is away. But the night has a couple of surprises in store for them. The story here is fresh and young with dollops of humour and a hint of emotions packaged as an enjoyable entertainer. The screenplay standing at just a shade above a 100 minutes does make for a wonderfully frivolous watch that will also gently tug the strings of your heart while putting a wide smile on your face.
The drama begins with the introduction of the two protagonists, two bickering brothers who aren’t always on the same page. While their mother is the mediator as hinted at in the drama, the two share a typical sibling relationship which ain’t any different from yours or mine. There is always this one-upmanship particularly with the elder sibling and that is nicely highlighted as a part of the premise. Yet, there is a genuine attempt made at building on the character traits of the two protagonists. The elder brother suddenly gains popularity in school after scoring a random winning goal while there is still a deep level of uncertainty within him wherein he often fails to back himself or even have the confidence to go upto the girl whom he likes in school. On the other hand, the younger brother is carefree, confident and street smart who often finds a way out of a serious conversation through his inherent charm and communication skills. The fun begin when they are invited to the most happening school party to kick off the weekend oblivious to their mother who is away for a meeting!
The proceedings are frivolous and fun and sprinkled with dollops of humour that had me laughing hysterically every now and then. The vibe of the drama is young and the tonality of it is maintained right throughout the narrative. There is a major event that takes place amidst the froth and the events leading up to that chaos accounted for one of the most hilarious and entertaining sequences of the film. Yet in between the gloss and the froth, there are certain dramatic moments that allow the viewers to further understand the characters a little more. One challenge was of the setting wherein the entire events of the film take place across a single night and that kind of got slightly repetitive in bits and parts. But it still accounted for a whole lot of fun that was reminiscent of the good old days when we would party hard as well(which I still do, I am unsure why I wrote that though😁). And the entire party sequence was just so much fun to witness. Time to call my friends over tonight!
There are tender moments in the screenplay that further accentuate the warm bond between the two siblings. You can sense the love between the two in a scene wherein both of them open up to their shortcomings in a beautifully woven scene. The drama can also be looked at as a coming of age drama that makes for a heartwarming final act that would leave you with a wide smile on your face. Overall, the screenplay redefines the meaning of fun while also staying a little grounded with its tender emotions towards the end.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are totally Gen Z and it made for a wonderful impact. The camaraderie between the group accounted for such witty one-liners that definitely did put a wide smile on my face. The music is urban and blends perfectly with the vibe of the drama, the BGM compliments the drama as well while adding a flavourful touch to the entertaining proceedings. The cinematography captures the vibrance of the proceedings with some lovely frames to fit the bill. Perhaps, a capturing a little vibe of the city wouldn’t have hurt either. The editing is sharp and crisp. Director Vatsal Neelakantan does understand the 18 to 22 age demographic really well and it is reflective in his direction here. He does create some interesting situations that account for a fun watch wherein he also does infuse dollops of humour to the events of the film. The direction is pretty good here.
Performances
The performances are amazing and I really enjoyed the vibe of the group. Juhi Chawla beautifully underplays her character as a working mother who is often a mediator between her children. Her performance was dignified and graceful to the core despite a limited screen time. Shashwat Chaturvedi as Bathtub, Mazda Taraporewala, Janvi Meta as Kemara, Ria Chaudhary as Aarti, Mazda Taraporewala as Own Goal, Rishabh Joshi as Jay Sheth(lol) and Vyom Vyas as Turk are simply outstanding and contributed so well to the vibrancy of the film. Aditya Jain as Kabir has a good screen presence and does a good job too. Ninad Kamat as Inspector Suhas is phenomenal with his comedy and in a few of his scenes I found myself laughing hysterically.
Medha Rana as Nats looks pretty and does a good job with her character. Aadhya Anand as Nitya is wonderfully understated in her character that possesses a quiet little charm. Amrith Jayan as Adi is top notch in a character which is assertive and confident while also transforming into a person who does differentiate between right and wrong. Babil Khan as Sid is simply brilliant in a character that seemed unsure of himself yet was affable to the core. His towering screen presence and his effortless acting chops are reminiscent of his father and he will surely go a long way. Just a minor critique, if he could work a little more on the clarity of speech which would further enhance his superb acting chops.
Conclusion
Friday Night Plan is the most frivolous, fun and heartwarming weekend party that you do not wish to miss out on! Available on Netflix and Highly Recommended!
