Economic, security and social factors influence return of scientists, children to Ukraine – opinion

Science and Health

14:18
08.11.2024

Economic, security and social factors influence the return of scientists and children to Ukraine, says Iryna Zhdanova, founder of the Klim Churyumov Science Lyceum/Boarding School and director of the Open Policy Foundation.

“What can stimulate children and scientists to return to Ukraine? This is the main question. I think there are three main factors: the security factor, the economic factor and the social factor,” she said at a press conference on “How to bring scientists and children back to Ukraine?” at the Interfax-Ukraine press center on Friday.

[embedded content]

She noted that the first two factors are directly influenced by the state of scientific developments in IT, engineering, physics, radiophysics, mathematics, chemistry, astronomy, as well as the retention of personnel: young people, scientists, engineers, laboratory assistants, and middle-aged researchers.

By the social factor, Zhdanova means quality education and medicine, availability of housing and work.

Zhdanova emphasized that young scientists with engineering and mathematical education constitute Ukraine’s strategic reserve.

“Even if we already have high-tech factories, equipment, some laboratories already have such equipment, including those that work for national defense, but all this equipment and technology need professional engineers, laboratory assistants and people with the appropriate education. Such specialists cannot be trained in a year or two,” she added.

In addition, according to her, quality online education for Ukrainian children abroad is an important factor in maintaining ties with Ukraine and returning citizens to the country.

New Business Owner? What to Do Next After Purchasing Your Small Business

Business News

It can be challenging to know what to do after you’ve bought your first small business. Owning a business can be overwhelming after spending countless hours looking into possible businesses, negotiating with prior owners, and completing the sale.

With the transaction closed, understanding the next steps is essential for ensuring a smooth transition and successful operation. The first year is essential for determining the short-term future of your business.

You can take numerous steps to make the transfer go more smoothly.

Understand the Business

Before making any changes, make sure you fully understand the business. Although it may be tempting to change rules and processes quickly, it is essential to wait until you understand the company’s operations and inner workings. Even with extensive research before buying, you will completely understand how the business operates once you are in charge. For example, if you are thinking about investing in social housing, you should understand the market, profit margins, and risks involved to make an informed decision.

To properly apply your strategy later, first examine the business’s existing performance. Examine whether operations are going smoothly and if the financial results satisfy expectations. Having this information will allow you to recognize what is working effectively and what needs to be improved.

Speak with the Current Staff

Speaking with current staff members is crucial to getting a thorough grasp of the business. This will provide vital information on the staff, team dynamics, company culture, and overall operations. Respecting employees from the start communicates to them that you value their efforts to the newly acquired business.

Employees may be concerned about the company’s future direction after a change in ownership. As a result, it is essential to express your vision and ambitions for the company as soon as feasible. Furthermore, if you are still trying to ensure job security in the long run, it is advisable not to make definitive promises about work stability. Making such commitments without confidence may harm staff loyalty and trust if you need to make modifications later.

Speak to Partners and Customers

Just as it is necessary to communicate with employees, you must also notify your current customers and partners of the change in ownership. A lack of communication during this shift can cause clients to be concerned about the business’s future and question the continuity of service.

Establishing direct relationships with your clients from the start is critical. This should be the primary priority during the handover from the previous owner. Reassuring them that the business will continue to thrive and discussing how you envision your relationship with them evolving in the future should be essential messages. This strategy ensures a smooth transition while maintaining client confidence.

Consider Business Strategy

When you buy a business, you adopt the prior owner’s aims and strategies. This is an excellent opportunity for you to share your approach and views.

After properly analyzing the business and communicating your plans with the staff, you can begin to develop your company’s operating strategy. Begin by assessing the industry’s current status, determining what works, what doesn’t, and what changes are required. Addressing the challenges as soon as possible is essential for improving operations.

Conclusion

Purchasing a business requires more than just sharing information. It is an important procedure that requires multiple steps. Learn about the industry and meet with current employees and customers. It is an important aspect of keeping the business running.

‘Black Cab’ Shudder Review: Horror Film Doesn’t Know What To Do With Nick Frost & Synnove Karlsen

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Traditional horror movies with an easy-to-follow plot, relatable characters, and a healthy dose of scares are probably every horror fan’s comfort food. That’s because, when it comes to horror, the experimental and abstract genre pieces can be very hit or miss. In 2024 alone, I have come across In A Violent Nature, and I loved its take on the slasher subgenre. Bramayugam’s exploration of casteism and classism on a monochrome canvas was excellent. Oddity’s portrayal of revenge was haunting. And Outside’s use of the zombie subgenre to talk about the patriarchy was worthy of all the applause in the world. Then you have movies like Night Swim, The Devil’s Bath, Consumed, Baghead, The Hangman, Munjya, MadS, Mr. Crocket, and Don’t Move, which undoubtedly have a good concept at their core, but the execution is simply too muddled to be impactful. I am sad to say that Black Cab falls into that second category.

Bruce Goodison’s Black Cab, written by David Michael Emerson, Nick Frost, and Virginia Gilbert, opens at a restaurant where Anne, her fiance Patrick, and their friends, Ryan and Jessica, are at the tailend of their party. Patrick tells everyone a scary story about a cab driver and soon follows it up with the news that, after experiencing a rough patch in their relationship, Anne and he have finally decided to get married. This apparently upsets Anne and Jessica for different reasons, and hence the get-together ends on a sour note. Patrick gets particularly rude, and even though Anne doesn’t want to spend the night with him, he shoves Anne into a cab so that they can get home. That said, instead of heading towards Anne’s house, Patrick tells the cab driver, Ian, to drive aimlessly until he says otherwise. Sensing the animosity between the couple, Ian tries to make sure that Anne is alright, but Patrick’s brash behavior and Anne’s timidity force him to back down. It’s only after Ian makes a pit stop that he starts showing his true colors, and the couple realizes that their lives are in danger.

To be fair to the writers of Black Cab, they do explain what the story is about in great detail at the very end of the movie. At one point, it actually seemed like Ian was going to break the fourth wall and begin unpacking everything that the movie was doing. But the issue is that explaining a movie that’s fundamentally confused about what it wants to do or say is pointless. Sure, it’s trying to comment on families, relationships, adultery, and parenthood. However, what is the commentary exactly about? That people shouldn’t enter relationships if they aren’t sure if they can be loyal to their partner? Is it about abortion? Is it about men controlling what a woman wants to do with her body? Is it just about some demented serial killer cabbie who is haunted by the ghosts of the women he has killed? Or is the whole film a figment of the imagination of a deeply insecure man? My answer to all those questions is: I don’t know. And, look, I like obtuse and abstract horror movies, and if this film tried to be one, I would’ve excused most of its creative choices. Since it doesn’t and unloads an over-explanatory exposition dump, I have to penalize it.

Black Cab limits its setting to the titular vehicle, which is certainly an interesting choice for a horror movie. Other films that have tried their hand at this gimmick to varying degrees of success are Cold Meat, Wheelman, Wind Chill, Cosmopolis, The Monster, and, of course, Locke. And the way Goodison goes about it is fine. Cinematographer Adam Etherington frames Nick Frost in intriguing ways, and editor Kim Gaster throws in some half-decent transitions here and there, but that’s not nearly enough to make the viewing experience engaging. Goodison’s approach to generating tension out of the premise of “Will Anne escape or not?” is way too repetitive and unimaginative. So, it’s not like the rest of the team can do anything to elevate the material if the director’s vision is so limited. And if futility and boredom were the whole point of the exercise, then I guess it’s a job well done. In addition to that, there’s a lot of questionable VFX. If the ghosts and apparitions had some substance to them, I guess I could have overlooked the shoddy presentation. However, since they don’t really amount to much, I have to deduct points for that. The pulsating music is alright, I suppose. At least you can bop your head to it.

Coming to the performances in Black Cab, I’ll say that everyone is trying their best. Nick Frost is largely known for his comedic roles and his collaborations with Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg. But he has been branching out for quite some time with stuff like Into the Badlands, The Nevers, and now this. And he is pretty good as this menacing monster who is pretending to be a gentle giant. Sadly, Ian is such a one-note (or maybe two-note) character that he doesn’t really get to flex his acting muscles. I have said earlier that Etherington frames Frost in intriguing ways, but none of that accentuates or underscores Frost’s acting. I actually think the cinematography undermines his skills as an actor and makes him look like a generic villain. Synnove Karlsen had displayed her acting chops in her limited role in Last Night in Soho. Despite having a starring role in this film, she is made to do the same three things over and over again until you are tired of her predicament. Luke Norris sleeps throughout the film for no fault of his own. The few moments that he does spend with his eyes open, he manages to showcase Patrick’s obnoxious nature. Tessa Parr and George Bukhari are in the film and they play their parts pretty well. Tilly Woodward plays the ghost, and, well, as far as ghosts go, she is okay.

As a fan of Nick Frost, I was really looking forward to Black Cab, and I am sure that if this project was in the hands of a better director and a better writer, this would’ve been one of his most memorable feature film outings. Sadly, now, I think I am going to remember it as the time Nick tried to play a monstrous antagonist and the film failed him. Since I have brought up Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg already, I think you can predict what I am going to say next: it’s time for another Cornetto trilogy. All three of these guys have gone on their separate paths, and they’ve done some incredible work. Pegg has become a recognizable face in the Mission: Impossible and The Boys franchises. Wright has racked up a bunch of awards. But it’s time to come back home. Given how they were relatively young while making the Cornetto trilogy, things were kind of lighthearted. This time around, they can go darker, grittier, and make their characters more world-weary. I’m not asking for sequels to the films they’ve made together. I’m not that kind of a fan. I just want them together in a shape or form that best suits their current artistic vision. Is that too much to ask for?

Related

‘Black Cab’ Shudder Review: Horror Film Doesn’t Know What To Do With Nick Frost & Synnove Karlsen

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Traditional horror movies with an easy-to-follow plot, relatable characters, and a healthy dose of scares are probably every horror fan’s comfort food. That’s because, when it comes to horror, the experimental and abstract genre pieces can be very hit or miss. In 2024 alone, I have come across In A Violent Nature, and I loved its take on the slasher subgenre. Bramayugam’s exploration of casteism and classism on a monochrome canvas was excellent. Oddity’s portrayal of revenge was haunting. And Outside’s use of the zombie subgenre to talk about the patriarchy was worthy of all the applause in the world. Then you have movies like Night Swim, The Devil’s Bath, Consumed, Baghead, The Hangman, Munjya, MadS, Mr. Crocket, and Don’t Move, which undoubtedly have a good concept at their core, but the execution is simply too muddled to be impactful. I am sad to say that Black Cab falls into that second category.

Bruce Goodison’s Black Cab, written by David Michael Emerson, Nick Frost, and Virginia Gilbert, opens at a restaurant where Anne, her fiance Patrick, and their friends, Ryan and Jessica, are at the tailend of their party. Patrick tells everyone a scary story about a cab driver and soon follows it up with the news that, after experiencing a rough patch in their relationship, Anne and he have finally decided to get married. This apparently upsets Anne and Jessica for different reasons, and hence the get-together ends on a sour note. Patrick gets particularly rude, and even though Anne doesn’t want to spend the night with him, he shoves Anne into a cab so that they can get home. That said, instead of heading towards Anne’s house, Patrick tells the cab driver, Ian, to drive aimlessly until he says otherwise. Sensing the animosity between the couple, Ian tries to make sure that Anne is alright, but Patrick’s brash behavior and Anne’s timidity force him to back down. It’s only after Ian makes a pit stop that he starts showing his true colors, and the couple realizes that their lives are in danger.

To be fair to the writers of Black Cab, they do explain what the story is about in great detail at the very end of the movie. At one point, it actually seemed like Ian was going to break the fourth wall and begin unpacking everything that the movie was doing. But the issue is that explaining a movie that’s fundamentally confused about what it wants to do or say is pointless. Sure, it’s trying to comment on families, relationships, adultery, and parenthood. However, what is the commentary exactly about? That people shouldn’t enter relationships if they aren’t sure if they can be loyal to their partner? Is it about abortion? Is it about men controlling what a woman wants to do with her body? Is it just about some demented serial killer cabbie who is haunted by the ghosts of the women he has killed? Or is the whole film a figment of the imagination of a deeply insecure man? My answer to all those questions is: I don’t know. And, look, I like obtuse and abstract horror movies, and if this film tried to be one, I would’ve excused most of its creative choices. Since it doesn’t and unloads an over-explanatory exposition dump, I have to penalize it.

Black Cab limits its setting to the titular vehicle, which is certainly an interesting choice for a horror movie. Other films that have tried their hand at this gimmick to varying degrees of success are Cold Meat, Wheelman, Wind Chill, Cosmopolis, The Monster, and, of course, Locke. And the way Goodison goes about it is fine. Cinematographer Adam Etherington frames Nick Frost in intriguing ways, and editor Kim Gaster throws in some half-decent transitions here and there, but that’s not nearly enough to make the viewing experience engaging. Goodison’s approach to generating tension out of the premise of “Will Anne escape or not?” is way too repetitive and unimaginative. So, it’s not like the rest of the team can do anything to elevate the material if the director’s vision is so limited. And if futility and boredom were the whole point of the exercise, then I guess it’s a job well done. In addition to that, there’s a lot of questionable VFX. If the ghosts and apparitions had some substance to them, I guess I could have overlooked the shoddy presentation. However, since they don’t really amount to much, I have to deduct points for that. The pulsating music is alright, I suppose. At least you can bop your head to it.

Coming to the performances in Black Cab, I’ll say that everyone is trying their best. Nick Frost is largely known for his comedic roles and his collaborations with Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg. But he has been branching out for quite some time with stuff like Into the Badlands, The Nevers, and now this. And he is pretty good as this menacing monster who is pretending to be a gentle giant. Sadly, Ian is such a one-note (or maybe two-note) character that he doesn’t really get to flex his acting muscles. I have said earlier that Etherington frames Frost in intriguing ways, but none of that accentuates or underscores Frost’s acting. I actually think the cinematography undermines his skills as an actor and makes him look like a generic villain. Synnove Karlsen had displayed her acting chops in her limited role in Last Night in Soho. Despite having a starring role in this film, she is made to do the same three things over and over again until you are tired of her predicament. Luke Norris sleeps throughout the film for no fault of his own. The few moments that he does spend with his eyes open, he manages to showcase Patrick’s obnoxious nature. Tessa Parr and George Bukhari are in the film and they play their parts pretty well. Tilly Woodward plays the ghost, and, well, as far as ghosts go, she is okay.

As a fan of Nick Frost, I was really looking forward to Black Cab, and I am sure that if this project was in the hands of a better director and a better writer, this would’ve been one of his most memorable feature film outings. Sadly, now, I think I am going to remember it as the time Nick tried to play a monstrous antagonist and the film failed him. Since I have brought up Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg already, I think you can predict what I am going to say next: it’s time for another Cornetto trilogy. All three of these guys have gone on their separate paths, and they’ve done some incredible work. Pegg has become a recognizable face in the Mission: Impossible and The Boys franchises. Wright has racked up a bunch of awards. But it’s time to come back home. Given how they were relatively young while making the Cornetto trilogy, things were kind of lighthearted. This time around, they can go darker, grittier, and make their characters more world-weary. I’m not asking for sequels to the films they’ve made together. I’m not that kind of a fan. I just want them together in a shape or form that best suits their current artistic vision. Is that too much to ask for?

Related

‘Vijay 69’ Netflix Review: Sports-Comedy Film Is Enjoyable Despite Its Cliches & Melodrama

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Back in the day, I don’t think sports movies were as popular in Bollywood as they are today. So, despite something as momentous as India’s win at the 1983 Cricket World Cup, we didn’t get a slew of films around that topic. In fact, it wasn’t until 2001’s Lagaan that we got a film wholly centered around cricket. The subgenre of drama films expanded in the 2000s with Iqbal, Chak De India, and Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal. In the 2010s we got Patiala House, Brothers, Saala Khadoos, and straight-up masterpieces like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Dangal, and Mukkabaaz. The 2020s have given us Panga, Rashmi Rocket, Liger (it is what it is), and Ghoomer. And to add to this illustrious list, while also making it a bit diverse, is Vijay 69.

Akshay Roy’s Vijay 69 tells the story of the former swimming champion, Vijay Mathew, who is presumed dead after he is seen trying to jump into the Arabian Sea at the crack of dawn for reasons only known to him. He is miffed at his family and friends that they decided to hold his funeral without even finding his body, thereby making it seem like they were way too eager to say their goodbyes. But the thing that really irks him is that his old friend, Fali, struggled to say a lot about Vijay’s achievements at his premature funeral. So, Vijay tries to put together a list of everything he has done in his life, and he comes to the realization that between bringing up his daughter, Deeksha, and standing beside his now deceased wife, Anna, while she fought cancer, he hasn’t accomplished all that much. Hence, when Vijay learns that there’s a triathlon competition in Mumbai and that the oldest Indian man to have completed a triathlon was 67 years old, he decides to surpass that record at the age of 69.

If you can predict the ending of Vijay 69 based on that synopsis, you are on the right track because Akshay Roy clearly didn’t set out to make a complex and convoluted film about the world of triathlons. He does manage to touch on the topic of sponsorships and how creating an image and a narrative around a sportsperson is as important as preparing for the competition. But, for the most part, it’s about an old dude trying to do the impossible to make up for all the time he has apparently wasted while getting a lot of pushback from friends, family, and strangers. Roy dials up the apprehensions of the naysayers to eleven to heighten the drama, and while it works in the case of the members of the triathlon association and the media, it does feel a little on-the-nose when it comes to everyone else. Still, Roy doesn’t generalize which age group, class, or caste will come to your support when you are in the pits; he just says that there are nice people everywhere if you are open to accepting their love. The characters aren’t really nuanced. The comedy hits more than it misses. So, yes, Roy checks all the boxes that’s required for a melodramatic sports comedy.

Like every other fan of sports movies, I like a solid training montage sequence, and to be honest, Vijay 69 is one long training montage, followed by a mini triathlon and then the main event. Roy, along with cinematographer Sahil Bhardwaj, editor Manas Mittal, production designer Meenal Agarwal, costume designers Darshan Jalan and Manish Tiwari, the makeup team, the art department, and the stunt teams, does a laudable job of documenting his protagonist’s journey. I don’t know if all the methods shown in the film are accurate, but they are certainly fun to watch as it pushes Vijay to his limit and motivates him to go beyond that. It’s truly commendable that Roy and his team have apparently conducted a full-fledged triathlon in its final act to give its cast, crew, and the audience the real deal. The tone of the film is light, and while some of the comedic moments (I’m looking at you, Fali) can overstay their welcome, the humor works best when it’s in tandem with the sports aspect of the story. As for the melodrama, it is fairly digestible throughout the film, as Roy never goes overboard with it. However, the intercutting between all the taunts that Vijay had faced and the scenes of Vijay doing the triathlon during the final stretch was too cringeworthy for my taste.

Coming to the acting in Vijay 69, everyone is pretty great. Yes, Chunky Panday sticks out like a sore thumb with his caricaturish performance, but his character is endearing enough to give it a pass. Guddi Maruti’s Mama Bear act is too adorable. Sulagna Panigrahi, Ravish Desai, and Ayan Hasan Ali Khan are so natural as Vijay’s family. Gyan Prakash, Raj Sharma, and Adrija Sinha are excellent as Vijay’s unwavering cheerleaders. Pawan Chopra and Dharmendra Gohil are essentially the antagonists of the movie, and both of them perfectly capture the brand of villainy that’s synonymous with colony uncles. And I love that they don’t get some big redemptive moment and they continue to be annoying all the way to the end. Despite their limited screen time, Kunal Vijayakar, Paratha Akerkar, Ashwin Mushran, Padmini Sardesai, Ketika Sharma, Jiten Mukhi, Abhhay Joshi, Rajan Kavatra, Masood Akhtar, Sharmila Goenka, and Sid Makkar are fantastic. Mihir Ahuja continues to prove that he is one of the best actors working right now, and he can slip into any role very easily. Vrajesh Hirjee absolutely knocks it off the park. The moment where he rushes to fight with Pawan and Dharmendra had me in splits. Saanand Verma is hilarious. The rest of the supporting cast is amazing. As for Anupam Kher, he proves that he has the juice in him, and he doesn’t need to do blatant propaganda films to have a career. I mean, this is a guy with around 500 films under his belt, and it’s easy to forget that because of his belligerent politics. His off-screen and on-screen persona wasn’t what it is today, and I think he has damaged his image too much to make me actually appreciate his performance. All I’ll say is that he is good in the role of Vijay Mathew, and I hope he learns to be better.

Despite all the cliches, melodrama, and my personal issues with the lead actor, I had a good time with Vijay 69. Look, man, I have been watching so many “mind-bending” and “cerebral” movies and shows for the past few weeks, e.g., Pedro Paramo, The Last Night at Tremore Beach, Caddo Lake, and Black Cab. Hence, I desperately needed something straightforward, bland, formulaic, and simple. In fact, I was practically begging for the entertainment gods to send one in my direction. So, you can only imagine how delighted I was to see a movie that had a linear storyline, no aliens, no time travel, no hallucinogenic drugs, no stupid visions, no cliffhangers—just a basic film with a clear starting point and an ending point. Now, if someone is not in that headspace, I don’t know how much they are going to enjoy it. Still, I’ll recommend everyone to give Vijay 69 a try and request all filmmakers to make more uncomplicated films like this.

Related

‘Vijay 69’ Netflix Review: Sports-Comedy Film Is Enjoyable Despite Its Cliches & Melodrama

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Back in the day, I don’t think sports movies were as popular in Bollywood as they are today. So, despite something as momentous as India’s win at the 1983 Cricket World Cup, we didn’t get a slew of films around that topic. In fact, it wasn’t until 2001’s Lagaan that we got a film wholly centered around cricket. The subgenre of drama films expanded in the 2000s with Iqbal, Chak De India, and Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal. In the 2010s we got Patiala House, Brothers, Saala Khadoos, and straight-up masterpieces like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Dangal, and Mukkabaaz. The 2020s have given us Panga, Rashmi Rocket, Liger (it is what it is), and Ghoomer. And to add to this illustrious list, while also making it a bit diverse, is Vijay 69.

Akshay Roy’s Vijay 69 tells the story of the former swimming champion, Vijay Mathew, who is presumed dead after he is seen trying to jump into the Arabian Sea at the crack of dawn for reasons only known to him. He is miffed at his family and friends that they decided to hold his funeral without even finding his body, thereby making it seem like they were way too eager to say their goodbyes. But the thing that really irks him is that his old friend, Fali, struggled to say a lot about Vijay’s achievements at his premature funeral. So, Vijay tries to put together a list of everything he has done in his life, and he comes to the realization that between bringing up his daughter, Deeksha, and standing beside his now deceased wife, Anna, while she fought cancer, he hasn’t accomplished all that much. Hence, when Vijay learns that there’s a triathlon competition in Mumbai and that the oldest Indian man to have completed a triathlon was 67 years old, he decides to surpass that record at the age of 69.

If you can predict the ending of Vijay 69 based on that synopsis, you are on the right track because Akshay Roy clearly didn’t set out to make a complex and convoluted film about the world of triathlons. He does manage to touch on the topic of sponsorships and how creating an image and a narrative around a sportsperson is as important as preparing for the competition. But, for the most part, it’s about an old dude trying to do the impossible to make up for all the time he has apparently wasted while getting a lot of pushback from friends, family, and strangers. Roy dials up the apprehensions of the naysayers to eleven to heighten the drama, and while it works in the case of the members of the triathlon association and the media, it does feel a little on-the-nose when it comes to everyone else. Still, Roy doesn’t generalize which age group, class, or caste will come to your support when you are in the pits; he just says that there are nice people everywhere if you are open to accepting their love. The characters aren’t really nuanced. The comedy hits more than it misses. So, yes, Roy checks all the boxes that’s required for a melodramatic sports comedy.

Like every other fan of sports movies, I like a solid training montage sequence, and to be honest, Vijay 69 is one long training montage, followed by a mini triathlon and then the main event. Roy, along with cinematographer Sahil Bhardwaj, editor Manas Mittal, production designer Meenal Agarwal, costume designers Darshan Jalan and Manish Tiwari, the makeup team, the art department, and the stunt teams, does a laudable job of documenting his protagonist’s journey. I don’t know if all the methods shown in the film are accurate, but they are certainly fun to watch as it pushes Vijay to his limit and motivates him to go beyond that. It’s truly commendable that Roy and his team have apparently conducted a full-fledged triathlon in its final act to give its cast, crew, and the audience the real deal. The tone of the film is light, and while some of the comedic moments (I’m looking at you, Fali) can overstay their welcome, the humor works best when it’s in tandem with the sports aspect of the story. As for the melodrama, it is fairly digestible throughout the film, as Roy never goes overboard with it. However, the intercutting between all the taunts that Vijay had faced and the scenes of Vijay doing the triathlon during the final stretch was too cringeworthy for my taste.

Coming to the acting in Vijay 69, everyone is pretty great. Yes, Chunky Panday sticks out like a sore thumb with his caricaturish performance, but his character is endearing enough to give it a pass. Guddi Maruti’s Mama Bear act is too adorable. Sulagna Panigrahi, Ravish Desai, and Ayan Hasan Ali Khan are so natural as Vijay’s family. Gyan Prakash, Raj Sharma, and Adrija Sinha are excellent as Vijay’s unwavering cheerleaders. Pawan Chopra and Dharmendra Gohil are essentially the antagonists of the movie, and both of them perfectly capture the brand of villainy that’s synonymous with colony uncles. And I love that they don’t get some big redemptive moment and they continue to be annoying all the way to the end. Despite their limited screen time, Kunal Vijayakar, Paratha Akerkar, Ashwin Mushran, Padmini Sardesai, Ketika Sharma, Jiten Mukhi, Abhhay Joshi, Rajan Kavatra, Masood Akhtar, Sharmila Goenka, and Sid Makkar are fantastic. Mihir Ahuja continues to prove that he is one of the best actors working right now, and he can slip into any role very easily. Vrajesh Hirjee absolutely knocks it off the park. The moment where he rushes to fight with Pawan and Dharmendra had me in splits. Saanand Verma is hilarious. The rest of the supporting cast is amazing. As for Anupam Kher, he proves that he has the juice in him, and he doesn’t need to do blatant propaganda films to have a career. I mean, this is a guy with around 500 films under his belt, and it’s easy to forget that because of his belligerent politics. His off-screen and on-screen persona wasn’t what it is today, and I think he has damaged his image too much to make me actually appreciate his performance. All I’ll say is that he is good in the role of Vijay Mathew, and I hope he learns to be better.

Despite all the cliches, melodrama, and my personal issues with the lead actor, I had a good time with Vijay 69. Look, man, I have been watching so many “mind-bending” and “cerebral” movies and shows for the past few weeks, e.g., Pedro Paramo, The Last Night at Tremore Beach, Caddo Lake, and Black Cab. Hence, I desperately needed something straightforward, bland, formulaic, and simple. In fact, I was practically begging for the entertainment gods to send one in my direction. So, you can only imagine how delighted I was to see a movie that had a linear storyline, no aliens, no time travel, no hallucinogenic drugs, no stupid visions, no cliffhangers—just a basic film with a clear starting point and an ending point. Now, if someone is not in that headspace, I don’t know how much they are going to enjoy it. Still, I’ll recommend everyone to give Vijay 69 a try and request all filmmakers to make more uncomplicated films like this.

Related