Being Cyrus (2005)

"Being Cyrus" is a dark, comedic venture by the debutante director Homi Adajania that spins around the Sethnas - a Parsi family.

Director:

Homi Adajania

Writers:

Homi Adajania (original screenplay), Kersi Khambatta (original screenplay)

Stars:

Naseeruddin Shah, Dimple Kapadia, Saif Ali Khan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Naseeruddin Shah	...	Dinshaw Sethna
Dimple Kapadia	...	Katy Sethna
Saif Ali Khan	...	Cyrus Mistry
Boman Irani	...	Farokh Sethna
Simone Singh	...	Tina Sethna
Honey Chhaya	...	Fardounjee Sethna
Manoj Pahwa	...	Inspector Maninder Lovely
Delna Patel	...	Miss Vinci
Ravi Khote	...	Bonesetter
Carol Gracias	...	Girl in Dream / Beggar Girl
Zareen Bhasin	...	Farokh's Secretary
Keku Writer	...	Eedu
Yasmin Khambatta	...	Bonesetter's wife
Rayaan Gandhy	...	Young Cyrus
Sephra	...	Young Tina

Storyline

The Sethna family resides in the hills of Panchgani. A retired sculptor Dinshaw heads the family of Dinshaw's wife Katy , brother Farokh, sister-in-law Tina and father Fardoonjee. When the bizarre Cyrus comes into their lives, it is soon revealed that things aren't quite right with the Sethna family. The original Indian title is "Akoori."

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Plot Keywords:

parsi | neo noir | fantasy sequence | dark comedy | psycho thriller | 

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Taglines:

Who you let in can change your life

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Thriller

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

India

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 March 2006 (India)

Also Known As:

Akoori

Filming Locations:

Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miracle Cinefilms, Serendipity Films, Times Infotainment Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The script went through 52 drafts.

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Quotes

Cyrus Mistry: [narrating] As children we never imagined that there was a world out there that other people spent all their lives grabbing at; As much as we wanted to breakout into that world, nobody ever told us that the more we grabbed, the more we would lose a few pieces of ourselves. It was inevitable, I guess.

User Reviews

Great little film-noir from Bollywood!

This recent Bollywood film had been lurking around the shops and I'd hear people refer to it as a 'different' 'offbeat' or 'art' film, not the usual 'masala' entertainment at all. Even though I fully realize that the hey-day of the Indian parallel cinema is over, I do keep on the lookout for the odd experiment or mixing of genres that filmmakers attempt every so often. Well, this turned out to be a hugely underrated little gem. It's off-beat alright, and doesn't have any silly musical numbers that plague the more mainstream Indian films. But what most reviewers and critics have failed to point out about it, is that it is really a good old-fashioned 'film noir', (albeit minus the moody lighting, and with a generous dose of humor) given a bit of post-modern sheen. It's a little too soft-edged (read: wholesome) and could have been a bit more atmospheric, but I suppose that for a first-time attempt, this is pretty good. The script is not as twisty or clever as it may seem at first (certainly won't fool any experienced film-noir buff), and I even guessed the 'big reveal' at the end, long before it came. But these minor quibbles do not get in the way of a thoroughly enjoyable tale, with many finely etched, memorable scenes (including a bizarre dream sequence). The performances vary, and the director seems unsure of the tone he wants his actors to take, but overall they are all good. Honey Chayya is particularly outstanding as the semi-senile old man Sethna. Naseeruddin Shah is wasted as the pot-head pottery maestro, but he plays the role well enough. Dimple Kapadia is a perfect portrait of a shrill, conniving, slutty middle-aged housewife. But Simone Singh is a little too pure and straight-laced (even when she's being shown 'rebelling' behind her hubby's back). Saif Ali Khan is just fine as the protagonist. All in all, a great little comedy/drama/thriller that doesn't outstay it's welcome, and at 83 minutes, is paced quite efficiently. No surprises for noir fans, but a pleasant enough ride through somewhat familiar territories, and an unexpected gem from the outskirts of Bollywood.