By ApunKaChoice Bureau Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com
Pritish Nandy Communications' Mumbai Matinee is based on a novel storyline that has never been attempted on Indian screen before. Moreover, the story is not over-fictitious as there do exist such characters in real life too.
Sex,
often seen as a taboo by orthodox minds, is what the movie is all about. However, there is no skin exposure as the subject is treated with a very realistic approach. Sex is the need of biology and who can defy nature. Such is also the case with the movie’s protagonist who is looking for some way to put an end to his virginity of 32-years.
The movie has an ensemble of interesting characters like the charlatan Baba who promises to end Debu’s virginal problem once and for all, Baba's urbane secretary (Asrani) and Debu's best pal and colleague (Kaabir), who has a fetish for female legs.
Then there is a failed and distinctly Punjabi film producer (Saurabh Shukla) with his humorous one-liners.
Film’s director Anant Balani has handled the light sequences with aplomb.
In the second half of the movie, the focus shifts to the love story between the protagonist and the journalist. This is where the pace of the movie begins to slacken.
Rahul Bose delivers a commendable performance as a man torn between his desires and his helplessness. Perizaad only gets a marginal role in the movie while character actors, Vijay Raaz and Saurabh Shukla make the first half watchable.
