Woh Bhi Din The
Introduction
Can a film which is canned for more than 11 years, still make an impact when it is out? Yes! I am in that phase of my life wherein any content which would even remotely take me back to my school and college days, would make me feel nostalgic. And so, with not too many new releases for the weekend, I decided to head towards the new Hindi film Woh Bhi Din The, a drama that promised to be nostalgic while being reminiscent of the school life, a period which was far away the complexities that life has thrown at us today. The film did star Adarsh Gourav, Sanjana Sanghi and Rohit Saraf in their teenage avatars and the film itself can be said to be a meta-reference of the good ol’ days given that this drama was humble beginnings for each of them while evoking a sense of nostalgia. My only major cause of worry was on whether the film would still hold relevance while not feeling stale, given that 11 years had passed since it was completed and waiting to see the light of the day. So then, does Woh Bhi Din The manage to impress, let’s find out.
Story & Screenplay
Woh Bhi Din The follows the story of the now grown up protagonist who visits his school only to reminisce the good ol’ days along with his first brush with love. The story here is a sweet little trip down memory lane although it doesn’t have anything completely new to offer. Yet, the writing does explore the tender complexities of growing up wherein everything around us is binary and we treat the world as black and white with very little of grey which would be the only reason to weigh you down. From being reluctant to talk to your first crush and later being possessive about your first love, to basically having a fun time with your friends and creating memories along the way, school life is always special, and the writing here definitely does bring the essence of it quite effectively. The screenplay standing at a shade above 2 hours is a sincere attempt at showing the different shades of youth while briefly also dabbling with its grey shades that makes for a compelling watch in many ways. And given its subject and also because of the story being set in the 90s, the idea of a stale product being served, never quite crossed my mind!
The drama is set in Jamshedpur and the city does play a character in the overall scheme of things. This isn’t a typical metro city and so it does have its own flavour, particularly with the drama set in the 90s that added a fresh dimension to the proceedings. So the drama does open in current times with the introduction of the now grown up protagonist who does visit his school after an eternity. And there is an instant set of nostalgia that kicks in, given how it is a relatable emotion whenever we visit our institutes even today. The drama shifts timelines to the past wherein you are introduced to the principal characters amidst the final year of school. The vibe of the room varies from being carefree to being studious but generally having a great time. The adolescence is a beautiful period of discovering yourself and the people around you and this drama does involve a sense of infactuation creeping in a couple of characters which is nicely handled.
The proceedings are engaging while also being relatable in many ways given how first glances don’t often translate into love blooming immediately. And that is a trajectory that the protagonist follows of trying to speak to his crush while his bestie playing a winger rather unsuccessfully. Yet, one aspect of the drama that did impress me was the ever shifting character dynamics between the characters as per the situation. The reaction which is a byproduct of the same is shown to be passive or rather accumulating in many ways which would only be evident at a much later point in the drama. And in between, the different emotions of the protagonist including rage and envy are expertly highlighted in the drama, something that would eventually have a bearing on his life at a later point in the drama.
The drama here can also be looked at as a coming of age tale in many ways given how the protagonist does enter a rather dark territory in the second hour, only to fight it out to the top. This was another flavour in the drama which wasn’t your usual run of the mill stuff. There was a certain sense of being misguided by your company while distancing yourself from your tribe, only for realization to creep in. I still did feel that the climax portion could have been further fleshed out in order to really hit the notes of relatability instead of being a little confused and contrived but having said that, I did enjoy the ending of keeping the ‘mystery’ open. The question wasn’t on whether the protagonist did end up with Milky or Shalini or with someone else, but instead on where he found himself at a point in his life which was reflective of his mental state. Overall, the screenplay is quite effective and does make for a sweet little trip down memory lane.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are conversational but quite effective in communicating the mood of the drama. The music is really good and makes for an impressive soundtrack which I shall revisit in days to come as well. The BGM is adequate and does its bit in accentuating the underlying emotions although a central theme of melody could have been utilized as well. The cinematography with some filtered frames work in the film’s favour of transporting you to the good ol’ days as oppossed to you getting an impression of a stale product. The editing though is a little weak and is quite abrupt in cutting down the conversations or even linking scenes wherein the characters speak of events which weren’t quite related to the previous scene(in some parts, not entirely). Director Sajid Ali which then seemed to be making his debut with this film does quite a good job here in effectively allowing you to take a trip down memory lane. The dynamics that he is able to create between characters is quite impressive and it does account for a flavourful watch in a rather layered drama.
Performances
The performances are pretty good here by the ensemble cast and so many of them are doing so well for themselves today. This film was a reminder on the talent that they had. John Abraham impresses in a little cameo. Zeeshan Quadri as Dalu is first rate and definitely has his moments to shine. Charu Bedi as Shalini has a sweet presence and she is lovely to witness onscreen. Gaurav Parajuli as Paritosh plays the troublemaker here and he is confident in front of the camera in a solid littke act. Sanjana Sanghi as Milky is adorable and she does handle the varied emotions in her character really well. Adarsh Gourav as Joy is a delight to watch and he did show glimpses of his exceptional talent very early on through this film, which is symbolic of his powerhouse performances today. Rohit Saraf as Rahul is affable with a wonderful character arc to play with and his performance was also a building block of being assured of the emotions that he continues to bring to his characters today. He is exceptional to the core here.
Conclusion
Woh Bhi Din The is a nostalgic trip down memory lane packaged in a bittersweet coming of age drama and boasting of solid performances that makes for a good watch. This didn’t feel like a film canned 11 years ago and much of it had to do with its relatable theme. Available on Zee5.