The Mehta Boys review: Boman Irani's directorial debut has its moments

Among the many releases this week, I have to admit, I was the most eager to watch The Mehta Boys primarily because I have admired the work of its lead actors- Boman Irani and Avinash Tiwary- but also because Irani was making his debut as a director. The Mehta Boys- about a father and son's slightly difficult relationship, is an earnest effort slice-of-life story that never soars high. 

The Plot of The Mehta Boys

Irani, who also is the producer and co-writer of the film along with Alexander Dinelaris, plays Shiv Mehta, a man who has lost his wife recently and hence has to shift -reluctantly- with one of his kids. Irani has played a character like Shiv before, a patriarch who has his quirks, who has a strained relationship with his son, and someone who has to now grapple with changes even though he doesn't wish to. 

The junior Mehta boy, Amay is played by Avinash Tiwary, a sincere actor who has proved his talent in films like Tu Hai Mera Sunday, Laila Majnu, and Bulbbul before. Amay has moved out of his home with a swanky job in Mumbai. Struggling to create a foothold in the city as well as his professions, Amay has problems in plenty, and hosting his father isn't part of his bigger scheme of things. 

 Priyanka Chopra grooves to Darling, Nick Jonas sings Maan Meri Jaan: Inside her brother's pre-wedding celebrations

The two have had a long-standing strained relationship and the woman in between, Amay's sister and Shiv's daughter (Puja Sarup) tries to mediate but isn't quite successful. Due to a ticketing issue, Shiv is forced to pit stop at Amay's house for two days in Mumbai before he moves to the US with his daughter. Two days of awkwardness that Amay decides he can deal with but the daddy issues of a grown-up man come forth at the most crucial moment in his life when he is trying to excel at the workplace and failing at it. 

Loveyapa Review: Junaid Khan and Khushi Kapoor's film is a love-hate situationship drama

What works

The little moments of the film actually fill up the heart. A scene has the father and son laughing and enjoying a Lauren and Hardy show on TV  and sharing a plate of noodles - even though they are conscious of the strain they have. Another scene has two sharing a candlelit dinner on the balcony of Amay's skyrise during a sudden power outage. 

Both Irani and Tiwary are pitch-perfect as the dysfunctional duo. You can sense how uncomfortable they are together and how they want to move past but can't. Puja Sarup and Shreya Chaudhry Amay's girlfriend/colleague are also impactful in the limited screen time they have.

A scene right in the beginning of the film has Shiv mechanically thanking everyone present at his place when his wife passes away including his son. The scene is poignant and establishes well their problematic relationship. 

Avinash Tiwary-Boman Irani's The Mehta Boys wins top award at Chicago South Asian Film Festival

What does not work

The film, however, never digs deeper. No explanation is given as to why the two share a strained relationship. On many occasions, the film feels slightly stretched as the banter between the two becomes repetitive. Amay's relationship with his somewhat sympathetic boss (Siddharth Basu) who gives unsolicited advice to Amay is also not fully flexed. 

The beauty of The Mehta Boys lies in its little moments that Irani and Tiwary earnestly bring alive on screen. The film however is too fluid to be genre-defining and the narrative slackens ever so often. 

Sikandar Ka Muqaddar actors Jimmy Shergill, Avinash Tiwary talk about Neeraj Pandey's latest heist movie

The Mehta Boys is streaming on Prime Video.