Film holds attention, but largely predictable
This may sound very like the recently released Maatr, but where Maatr hinged on Raveena Tandon, Mom has in its armoury the highly talented Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Akshaye Khanna and Adnan Siddiqui.
And director Ravi Udyawar knows how to use them.
Siddiqui, in the role of private detective Dayashankar Kapoor aka DK, is the real highlight of the film.
He fleshes out his character as only he can; he knows exactly how to play charming and vul- origin cop. He too is rendered crass and unfunny; to be fair, he also seems disinterested to the point of somnambulism.
But the award for the ‘I-don’t-know-how-I-ended-uphere’ performance goes to Tanvi Azmi, whose only job in the film seems to be justifying Rawal’s farting. Every time she says, nerable.
Overlook Akshaye Khanna’s twitching eyebrows for a few seconds and you will see that he too shines.
It’s a pity that his turn as the crime branch cop with the acerbic wit gets so little screen time.
Sridevi is strong, particularly in the emotional scenes.
All looks to be headed in the right direction, and then the plot begins to falter.
The villains feel like clichés. The gut-wrenching agony is toned down to suit all palates. There are random, rambling verbal duals between the mother and the detective.
All subtlety is lost as the screenplay badgers each point home and still fails to achieve what Nawazuddin Siddiqui does with a single glance.
You know all is lost when Sridevi decides to take it upon herself to deliver justice.
The film holds your attention for its 148 minutes, but it’s largely predictable, so it’s really the actors that deserve the credit.
For better Sridevi, watch English Vinglish again. Watch this one for Nawazuddin. “Inka zara pet kharab hai,” you feel like handing her a rose.
Kartik Aaryan, who plays the hapless host, looks good, dances well and is pretty funny too, but all that is drowned out by Rawal’s farting.
Don’t let this guest come anywhere near you. Stay alert, stay safe.