Vinay Pathak’s & Rajat Kapoor's Everybody Loves Sohrab Handa Movie Review: A portrayal of interpersonal relationship

Director: Rajat Kapoor

Cast: Vinay Pathak, Neil Bhoopalam, Pallavi Ghosh, Sharat Katariya, Sadiya Siddiqui, Koel Purie, Ranvir Shorey, Waluscha D’Souza, M.K. Raina, Saurabh Shukla and others

A whodunit’s true victory lies in keeping the suspense intact until the moment of revelation. Some of the best authors of crime thrillers are experts at weaving narratives that leaves one guessing until this moment. Agatha Christie, Erle Stanley Gardner, among others introduced me to this genre as a teenager. More often than not, I have been able to guess who the culprit is, because there are only so many plot lines that can be explored in this subset. Just as intelligent writing keeps one hooked to literature of this genre, intelligent visuals are what keeps one hooked to films. Rajat Kapoor, the director of whodunit called Everybody Loves Sohrab Handa, has done a fair job in attempting a reveal that comes as a surprise. However, certain scenes that foreshadow the ending give away the main suspects of the plot very early on.

So this is not really the aspect of the film that I enjoyed. What I really loved experiencing was the milieu of this film. It must be noted that the film is set in one location, and yet, there is more movement and vibrant portrayal of the surroundings. While the physical location itself is a beautiful bungalow, what really helps this setting come to life is the people who stay in this bungalow for a special occasion. Raman and Jayanti celebrate their 10th anniversary with close friends and family, and the film puts their closest relationships to test. Of course doubts creep in, the best of friends begin to have conflicts in a race against time as they are forced to investigate a crime with little to no help from outside.

The tile, Everybody Loves Sohrab Handa is a play of irony as the film itself puts its titular character in the spot. Handa, who is Raman’s work partner and a very close friend is not the man that he puts himself out as. His confidence is rooted in insecurities and his anger is a cloak that hides trauma. He is at no point one-dimensional, and the more you see him on screen, the more frustrated you get. The first impression Handa makes him look like a jealous, and mean man who has nothing good to say about his family or friends. The continual microscopic treatment of Handa’s life in an attempt to find the killer is what elevates this crime drama in comparison to the many others. There is a constant struggle for power in the household among friends. It surfaces only when they gather around.

The conversation starts on a light note until it crescendos into a full blown fight — verbal and physical —  and all of it somehow centers on Handa. This is not to say that Handa steals the spotlight from others, but to a large extent, he is the beacon of light that directs the film. The question that echoes in your mind throughout the film as events unfold is “Do these people who claim to be closest to Handa really love him or is all of this a farce?” Turns out, the truth lies somewhere in between.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Everybody Loves Sohrab Handa movie was shown at the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2023 

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