Vijay 69 movie review: Anupam Kher is defeated by the unimaginative storytelling

Vijay lives in a house surrounded by the memories of his dead wife, the only one who used to encourage him in his endeavours, the chief of which seems to be getting ranked in a swimming race. Everyone else, including his dearest friend Fali (Chunky Panday donning a grey wig and the broadest Parsi accent that can be mustered), thinks he’s gone bananas.

A film like this comes with deathly predictability. There’s no way that Vijay can fail: he will prevail, whether it over an unhappy daughter, conniving neighbours, and slimy news anchors who portray him as an unworthy, out-of-control candidate for the competition, in segments meant to generate humour but which end up being contrived and unfunny. How would you react if someone called you ‘Isabgol ke rasgulle’? Crack up or cringe?

Watch Vijay 69 stars Anupam Kher, Chunky Panday recall being mocked, ‘humiliated’ in Bollywood here:

This ensemble could have amounted to something. We can certainly do with a return of Chunky Panday, but not when he is confined to a caricature. The same can be said for every other actor, especially the severely underutilised Vrajesh Hirjee. Mihir Ahuja gets a sizeable part here, as a Gen Z competitor who crafts a bond with the old man. There’s another young ‘un, a YouTuber with her own channel, following Vijay around. Her character is more annoying than cute, and that’s something you can say about the film as a whole.

Kher himself, the reason why this film exists, is defeated by the unimaginative story-telling,  as is the subtext of age being just a number. The last time when he played old in a film which actually caught our attention was Sooraj Barjatya’s ‘Uunchai’ in which he reached the Everest Base Camp despite all obstacles: it was maudlin but made you feel. Not this.

Vijay 69 movie cast: Anupam Kher, Chunky Panday, Mihir Ahuja, Vrajesh Hirjee, Guddi Maruti, Paritosh Sand, Kunal Vijaykar
Vijay 69 movie director: Akshay Roy
Vijay 69 movie rating: 1.5 stars