Film Review: Mast Mein Rehne Ka [Stay in fun mode]

Starring: Jackie Shroff, Neena Gupta, Abhishek Chauhan, Rakhi Sawant, Monika Panwar, Faisal Malik

Director: Vijay Maurya

This Amazon Prime Video release with fun in its very title promises a light-hearted ride with some of the Hindi film industry’s most respected veteran actors in the driving seat.

V.S. Kamath (Shroff) has a very well regimented routine in his Mumbai flat, which starts at the crack of dawn with some cursory Yoga poses and takes in strolls in the park and by the sea before a little beer before bedtime. His loneliness is etched on his face as he tries not to dwell on the sadness that engulfs him at the sight of his deceased wife’s portrait.

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When news of burglaries targeting older, solitary residents of the neighbourhood living begins to circulate, Kamath initially seems unperturbed. But soon he is confronted with a night-time prowler (Chauhan), who ends up injuring him in the process of fleeing the scene of crime. The incident shakes Kamath up, so much so that he takes matters in his own hands when he realises his outspoken new neighbour Parkash Kaur Handa (Gupta), who has just returned from her son’s home in Canada, could be the prowler’s next target.

An initial misunderstanding between the pair leads to a firm friendship as they discover fun in their otherwise mundane lives. Soon, identifying their prowler from the police line-up seems less of a priority as the duo find more entertaining distractions. However, Parkash’s sudden heart attack on one such outing stops them in their tracks. Will Kamath and Parkash be able to carry on their fun jaunts in their sunset years or will more conservative societal norms interrupt their new-found joys?

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This sweet slice of life film is packed with nuances that tug at the heartstrings. The parallel stories of the elderly duo in search of new meaning to their lonely lives and a young migrant couple trying to eke out a living in a harsh metropolis run well in tandem. Some jerky moments in the script are smoothed over by the sheer powerhouse acting talent of Neena Gupta and Jackie Shroff – both of whom elevate this tale to a heart-warming level.

The fun implied in the title is quite deceptive as there are quite a few stark moments packed in, but on the whole the message of living life to the fullest is what ultimately resonates.