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ACTOR
Naseeruddin ShahDimple KapadiaSaif Ali KhanBoman Irani
DIRECTOR
Homi Adajania
SYNOPSICS
Being Cyrus (2005) is a English movie. Homi Adajania has directed this movie. Naseeruddin Shah,Dimple Kapadia,Saif Ali Khan,Boman Irani are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2005. Being Cyrus (2005) is considered one of the best Drama,Thriller movie in India and around the world.
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Being Cyrus (2005) Trailers
Being Cyrus (2005) Reviews
An Offbeat Stunner with true Box Office Potential
The dark comedy Being Cyrus centers around the lives of a Parsi family, the Sethnas. From the film's name, expectations that conjure up are about a typical Parsi existence. But as the film gets underway and the plot unravels, you realize that it is far from that. The story brings out the dark sides of some seemingly ordinary characters, who eventually go to unbelievable lengths to achieve their goals. Cyrus (Saif) shows up at the Sethna's at their Panchgani bungalow, and offers to be an assistant to pot maker Dinshaw (Naseeruddin Shah). He spends a year with them and in the process a romance seemingly brews between him and Katy (Dimple Kapadia), Dinshaw's wife. Other clandestine activities coincide with this; Cyrus receives some money for an undisclosed reason, and he is shown working on something in a lab setting. He then arrives at Dinshaw's brother, Faroq's (Boman Irani) house in a very Parsi locality in Mumbai. Faroq takes care of their father who lives in a room in their Mumbai apartment, and does not treat him too well. Cyrus befriends the father but Faroq loathes his proximity. Katy on the other hand, gets frequent calls from Mumbai, in a parallel unexpected development. Tina(Simone Singh) who is Faroq's wife, befriends a policeman Lovely (Manoj Pahwa), and their interactions provide good comic relief. In what follows, the plot slowly unfurls, revealing morbid and unanticipated sides of many personalities. The movie takes a shocking turn at one juncture and the few minutes around that scene unravel a range of unforeseen occurrences. Saif's fist English movie, his lead character transitions from carefree sculptor's assistant to a starkly more somber character in a span of a few minutes. Naseeruddin Shah again plays the intoxicated old man following Iqbal; he is a reclusive pot sculptor who is hooked to a different kind of pot. Dimple Kapadia fulfills the role of middle aged vain Parsi lady, but her character could have been more believable. Boman Irani, originally Parsi, is at home with the characters and dialog delivery in this film. There is a scene where he gets into an argument with a Parsi lady about her pet dog which captivates the viewer with its authenticity and comedy. Simone Singh gives a good performance of an unassuming bride who transforms into something very different. The film does not have songs, but the soundtrack is effective and did justice to the different moods. Some scenes could have used a more topical background score to build up and establish the importance of the scene. The use of English, not all actors' first language, causes some parts to come across as unnatural. For a directorial debut, Homi Adajania's work is commendable and one wonders how he managed to clinch such a stellar cast on his initiation. He has shown his versatility in comedy and drama scenes as well as evocative dream sequences. Considering how unpredictable the plot is, it has been stitched together well. On the whole, the movie has a few things going for it - the star cast, the plot and the direction. This one is not to be missed - an offbeat stunner with true box office potential.
Fantastic alternate cinema coming from India
I saw this film in New York last December (05) and couldn't believe that films like this are made in India. It was FABULOUS. The crowds were enough to demand another full-house screening but unfortunately union rules prevented the cinema from doing this. Though the film takes time to digest (the credit roll being sufficient), everyone I met after the film seemed very impressed. The director, Homi Adajania, has a very unique style of story telling. It's a bold blend of genres and calling it a black comedy would be the closest to describe it, yet not totally justified. It would be fair to say that Being Cyrus is truly an alternate film, but it certainly refreshes our take on Indian Cinema and i hope more films like this are weaved out to surprise and entertain us. Absolutely fantastic in the direction, cinematography and background score department. This Director is someone to watch out for in the future. It's a must see.
A triumph of film-making
"Being Cyrus" might be Homi Adajania's first call of duty on the director's chair but it isn't the youngster first tryst with Indian cinema. Adajania has been an assistant in such films as "Bhopal Express" and "Everybody Says I'm Fine". And although these films spew a mix of quality and mush, nothing will prepare for you the stunning brilliance Adajania displays in his maiden venture. Making its grand premiere in North America and Europe, I happened to catch "Being Cyrus" at a film festival. A sold-out crowd here witnessed the birth of a great young talent in Adajania. Much before the release of the film, Adajania had repeatedly stated that "Being Cyrus" in no way, shape, or form reflected Parsi life. He had deemed it to be a thriller laced with black comedy at its core with the Parsi aspect only being relegated to its characters. Written by Kersi Khambatta and Adajania himself, "Being Cyrus" focuses on six major characters and how their lives interconnect during the course of the film. One fine day, Cyrus (Saif Ali Khan), after a disastrous childhood, comes as a drifter and settles upon residence with the Sethnas'. It doesn't take much conviction for Dinshaw Sethna (Nasseruddin Shah), a retired dope-smoking sculptor, and his immoral wife, Katy Sethna (Dimple Kapadia) to accept him in their house willfully. At first, as Cyrus narrates, life went on without much of a dilemma. The initial scenes involve Dinshaw growing close to Cyrus, depicting a father-son relation, and Katy growing close with Cyrus in a flirtatious manner. Chaos ensues when the younger brother of Dinshaw, Farrokh Sethna (Boman Irani) and his father Fardounjee Sethna (Honey Chhaya) come in the picture. The foundation, of what appeared to be a solid, close-knit family, starts to crack. As Cyrus reveals through his narration, a long-standing feud looms over Dinshaw, Farrokh, Katy and their father. Without having to delve into further spoilers, problems embark upon the family with Cyrus' arrival and as the film goes deeper into each character's psyche, Cyrus also comes off with a revolting baggage of history which brings out his true colors as the film progresses. Keeping in the somber tone and mood of the film, Adajania delivers a whopper of a climax sure to jolt the viewer in marvel of the entire product. Adajania's final concoction isn't totally devoid of flaws. Some of the portions of the film which dredges the minds of these characters and projects their thoughts on screen (a particular dream sequence seems phenomenal and repulsive at the same time!) seem forced and out of context with the utter realism "Being Cyrus" exemplifies. Other than these shortcomings though, for a debut venture, this is a landmark for director Homi Adajania. Not only does he deliver a first-rate feature, but he extracts fantastic work from his entire cast. Not a single faulty performance here. A rarity in Bollywood! In a act that surpasses his sterling work in "Ek Hasina Thi", Saif Ali Khan gives a towering act here as the title character and moves with such fluidity and finesse, from the rakish stranger to the cold-blooded monster he becomes in the process of cohabiting with the Sethnas, that it will leave the viewer in complete awe of the actor's talent. Dimple Kapadia never ceases to amaze. The woman still has the chops of a Tabu or a Konkona Sen when quality is presented before her. Another achievement for the established actress. Ditto for Boman Irani who is fast becoming the best character actor Bollywood cinema hasn't seen since the heyday of Nasseruddin Shah and Om Puri. Honey Chhaya (a riot here), Manoj Pawha (wonderfully rendering a foolish inspector here) and Simone Singh (graceful as Farrokh's wife) are all given meaty roles here by Adajania and return the favor by putting forth excellent work. Comparing to the five actors aforementioned, Nasseruddin Shah is given little to do as the stoner but does it in such an exquisite fashion that it shouldn't even come as a surprise anymore as he is undoubtedly one of the greatest thespians Indian cinema has ever produced. The camera-work, here by National Award Winner Jehangir Chowdhury ("Holi") is impressive, without having to employ picture post-card quality, as Chowdhury primarily relies on steadicam to demonstrate the grittiness that the characters of "Being Cyrus" possess. Editing is first-class with London-based editor Jon Harris in fine form doing the snip-work here. The biggest revelation, however, is the background music (no songs here folks) by Salim-Sulaiman which is simply mellifluous here. Barring their work in "Teen Deewarein" and, to an extent, "Ab Tak Chappan", Salim-Sulaiman haven't composed anything worth of mention. In "Being Cyrus", though, they make a firm stand with their most outstanding score to date. The superb dialogues and the highly original and taut screenplay comes courtesy Kersi Khambatta and Homi Adajania. Running at a frantic pace of 90 minutes, the majority of "Being Cyrus" is in English though there are sporadic instances of Gujrati thrown in there for good measure. Above all, a tremendous kudos is in order for Homi Adajania for having the guts to take on such a audacious, bold venture as this for a debut vehicle. This is the definition of an offbeat film folks, a distant contradiction to the so-called "offbeat" rubbish we have been subjugated to from the degrading likes of RGV. Seeing as how 90% of films today just seem to work the good ol' formula to death while the others just profess to be "different", Adajania deserves the highest form of adulation for his remarkable vision as a filmmaker with "Being Cyrus".
Terrific!
As you saunter into the movie hall and look on as the lights go off and the show begins, you begin to wonder if "Being Cyrus" is like those numerous clichéd bollywood style Hindi-English films a la Bollywood Hollywood, Bollywood Calling etc. Also who in this world is Homi Adjanaia? and how did he manage to pull off an ensemble cast with the likes of Naseeruddin Shah and Boman Irani not to mention the uber cool Saif Ali Khan for his debut film. The answer is all for us to see--"Being Cyrus" is a smashingly well crafted original film (So rare in India these days) that it leaves you wondering if Homi Adjania is really a first time director? The story moves back and forth between Panchgani and Mumbai essentially revolving around the lives and times of the not so normal, upper middle class Sethna Family and what happens when Cyrus Mistry (Saif Ali Khan) comes into it. Dinshaw Sethna (Naseeruddin Shah) is a pot head sculptor, perennially high on grass running a pottery school in Panchgani. He lives with his bollywood obsessed, chatterbox wife Katy (Dimple Kapadia). Cyrus joins as an apprentice to Dinshaw and becomes embroiled in a maze of complex relationships that involve Dineshaw's father Fardonjee Sethna(Honey Chayya), brother Farokh(Boman Irani) and sister in law Tina(Simone Singh). Right from the first frame, this dark thriller engrosses the viewer in its many complex layers which are difficult to fathom at times. The entire film being in English has a lot of the lines cocooned in black humor may be over head transmission, but nevertheless are in line with the story and have a hammer strong impact if actually dissected and understood. The movie juxtaposes the protagonist (Cyrus)'s own story with the story of the Sethnas and this is where the movie hits a complete high. The editing is razor sharp and the bravura cinematography captures the Parsi household perfectly, whether it is the old building that Fardonjee owns in Bombay or the Panchgani house of Dinshaw. Adjania shows a careful eye for detail while reflecting the times of a typical Parsi family living in Mumbai. Boman Irani's white on white dress, his impeccably maintained vintage car, the wedding shot lend a feel of authenticity to the Parsi setup.Manoj Pahwa brings the house down with his high on testosterone, high on fat brash Inspector Maninder Lovely. Naseeruddin Shah is apt for the role of the grass smoking lost in life artist. Dimple, sometimes over the top, nevertheless comes up with an effective portrayal of her Katy. Saif Ali Khan is subtly nuanced and gets under the skin of Cyrus quite intensely. Honey Chayya and Simone Singh are effective in their parts as Fardonjee and Tina Sethna. The scene stealer however is Boman Irani's Farokh Sethna. Boman brings out the cocky wickedness of Farokh quite magnificently that you hate him instantly. Be it the fight with the neighbor over a dog , or the appointment with the physiotherapist or his interactions with Fardonjee, Boman is a treat. Watch the film setting aside all mindsets, its a brilliant film.
Something Fresh !
When I heard about this movie for the first time, what I had in mind was a lighthearted made-in-India English comedy. We have had quite a number of those in the last few years, English, August, Jhankaar Beats and the Hyderabad Blues couple to name a few. And I was even surer about it when I heard about the cast. What would you expect out of a movie which is called Being Cyrus and has actors like Saif Ali Khan, Boman Irani and Naseeruddin Shah? Well I was partly correct. It was a comedy alright! But it wasn't half as much 'lighthearted' as I had expected it to be. Being Cyrus turned out to be a dark, psychological drama concerning the lives of an individual named Cyrus Mistry(that's Saif) and a not-so-common Parsi family. The acting by all the characters was, for most of the movie, quite superb. Naseeruddin Shah played his relatively brief role of a doped, absent-minded artist to near perfection. And so did Boman Irani in his of a loveless husband who is frustrated with almost everything life has to offer him. Simone Singh also does well in the portrayal of a coy, frightened wife, brave enough to indulge in her personal desires only in the absence of her strict, boring husband. But the surprise package in terms of acting is Honey Chhaya who plays the role of a forgetful old man harassed to the limit by his younger son. My personal favourite was the scene in which he, having chocolates and remembering his earlier years, looks up at the ceiling dreamily and says "Those were the good old days". Manoj Pahwa, as Inspector Lovely, also manages to sneak in some hilarious comic moments. Dimple Kapadia is perhaps the only disappointment, overacting severely in many of her sequences. The direction by debutant Homi Adajania is very fresh and promising and he couldn't have made a better start to his career. The storyline is not amazing but strong enough to take the viewer by surprise in the end. Yes, the movie doesn't have any songs to offer but music and sound play a somewhat major role all throughout the film, adding to its suspense and drama. Only the screenplay could have been a trifle better. At some points, it wasn't clear as to what the director was trying to say. And I don't believe that could have been intentional. Or maybe, it was. I have saved the man in the lead for the end. Saif Ali Khan, in his first English film, has shown that he is capable of a lot more than playing the 'chocolate-boy' that he has traditionally done. He was perhaps not the obvious choice for the role of a distressed, orphaned individual but all would agree that he did ample justice to the task assigned. All in all, Being Cyrus is a very entertaining first-time watch, if only for the difference it has to present. Seen independently, it would get a 6/10 from me. But as it happens to be one of the first of its kind, it deserves a nice 7.