Action icon John Abraham proves to be far less effective as a dramatic actor in Kapil Sharma’s I, Me aur Main. The star of testosterone-fuelled hits Force, Dhoom and Race 2 fails to inject any warmth into the self-centred character he plays in this promising but underdone directorial debut.
Abraham’s Ishaan one of the least likable leads to front a major film in some time
As the smarmy, cocky record producer, Abraham’s Ishaan is one of the least likable leads to front a major film in some time. From the flashback prologue, when he acts the brat only to have his sister take the rap for his actions, we understand he’s not above manipulation to get what he wants.
As an adult, he has somehow snared Anushka (Chitrangda Singh), a beautiful girlfriend of independent means who inexplicably tolerates his selfish, vain persona; in one teeth-grinding scene, she prepares a breakfast for him only to have him whine his way out of tipping the grocery boy who delivers their next meal.
Forced to decamp when Anushka has finally had enough, Ishaan takes an apartment opposite perky neighbour-with-a-heart-of-gold Gauri (Prachi Desai). Utterly unimpressed by Ishaan’s buff body and designer-label showiness, Gauri instead tries to get to know the man inside the spoilt boy and they strike up a conveniently heart-warming friendship. Despite Desai’s lovely screen presence, it seems unlikely that her fun-loving character would be the one to make Ishaan see the shallowness of his existence. That said, I, Me aur Main is better off for their scenes together.
Despite featuring all the trappings and attitudes of a slick modern society, I, Me aur Main remains deeply rooted in old-fashioned values and, most worryingly, overly traditional archetypes. Ishaan’s mother (Zarina Wahad) mollycoddles her adult son, suggesting she plays an enabling role in his irksome personality. Sharma and screenwriter Devika Bhagat refuse to lay the blame for the lead character’s flaws at his own feet, thereby undermining the arc that allows for his redemption (however meagre it may be). The denouement seems to suggest the mummy’s boy has found self-worth by becoming his own mummy-of-sorts, but the sentiment and construction of the sequence is confusing.
Other support players are used mostly in the service of situational comedy and are never given the opportunity to shine. On the plus side, Sharma has clearly absorbed much from an extensive career as first assistant director for the likes of Tarsem Singh (The Fall), Wes Anderson (The Darjeeling Limited) and AR Murugadoss (Ghajini); his framing and blocking of key scenes is remarkably assured for a first time filmmaker.
