EVERYBODY SAYS I'M FINE! Rating: (out of 5 stars) Director: Rahul Bose Producer: Viveck Vaswani Writer: Rahul Bose Director of Photography: Vikas Sivaraman Cast: Rehaan Engineer, Koel Purie, Rahul Bose, Pooja Bhatt, Anahita Uberoi Visit the IMDB page for full cast and crew

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Review by: Warren Curry
5/14/03

The English-language Indian film Everybody Says I'm Fine! is my first exposure to contemporary Indian cinema, and with "Bollywood" movies making their presence felt more and more in the U.S., I get the feeling it won't be my last. So, what did I know about Indian films prior to this experience? It was my understanding that they contain lavish production and costume design, usually run well over two hours in length and, of course, feature many elaborate musical numbers (actually, this is a description of mainstream Indian cinema i.e. "Bollywood." Independently minded "regional" Indian cinema also exists.). Well, go figure -- Everybody Says I'm Fine! is a very modest film, which has no song and dance numbers and only runs slightly over 100 minutes. It wasn't quite what I had expected, to say the least.

A leading actor in India, director Rahul Bose has made a mostly engaging film from a…uhhh…difficult to swallow premise. The story centers on Xen (Rehaan Engineer), a hairdresser in Bombay, who is haunted by the memories of his parents' death, which he witnessed as a child (the scene depicting this scarring incident is borderline absurd). The trauma has actually infused Xen with the gift of being able to read his customers' minds when cutting their hair. Through this ability, we learn about the secret fall from grace of a former upper class woman, Tanya (the stunning Pooja Bhatt), the hidden frustration of an enthusiastic (crazed?) actor, Rage (played by Bose), the transgressions of a wealthy businessman, Mr. Mittal (Boman Irani), and the sweet, awkward, blossoming relationship between teenagers Bobby (Sharokh Bharucha) and Tina (Juneli Aguiar). There is one person, however, whose inner thoughts Xen is unable to decipher -- a 20-something woman named Nikita (Koel Purie). Fascinated by this inaccessible woman, Xen develops a curious infatuation with her.

Xen acts as the common thread that ties the narrative together, but the film often explores the surrounding characters outside of their interaction with the hairdresser. The most strongly handled subplot concerns the façade that Tanya wears to maintain the appearance of being among the financial elite. Although, unbeknownst to anyone, she has moved into a rundown apartment complex, the woman is still driven to the salon every few weeks by the same chauffeur who served her prior to the abandonment of her husband. Her foil is a callous social elitist, Misha, played with a convincing smarminess by Anahita Oberoi, who gradually begins to uncover the truth of Tanya's predicament.

As the film progresses, Xen becomes imprisoned by his extraordinary ability, relentlessly bombarded by the struggles of his customers. Although he's confident and seemingly unflappable on the outside, Xen finds no escape from the painful and confused lives he involuntarily must know intimately. The lack of a psychological exit eventually exacts a heavy toll.

Structurally and tonally, the film hits its mark until the focus narrows on Xen's emotional collapse. The last act of the movie is something of a mess, and the director has a difficult time transitioning into a darker gear. When Bose's attention bounces around amongst the characters, the movie effectively operates in a comfortable area somewhere between airy social comedy and light drama. Unfortunately, it gets lost when striving to be more.

Everybody Says I'm Fine! doesn't quite reach the heights it aspires to attain, but it is certainly an interesting film that's early buoyancy is its strongest asset. And after this introduction, I feel ready to tackle more traditional Indian fare -- such as the recent Bollywood "remake" of Reservoir Dogs entitled Kaante. Like you, I've always wondered why Tarantino didn't have Mr. Blonde and Mr. Pink break into a duet…

(A Panorama Entertainment release. Opens in Los Angeles on May 16, 2003.)