This Indian series is being sold as a story about a gay man falling for his straight best friend but honestly, at its heart, it's really about friendship and what friendship can look like when it gets complicated and messy and emotionally loaded. It's available on the YouTube channel of Last Leaf Pictures, seven episodes of about 30 minutes each. I had mixed feelings throughout and a big part of that comes down to how I felt about one of the lead characters, but more on that in a bit. Anshul and Kavith are the two men at the centre of everything. They first meet on a train heading to Delhi, both of them not really ready to go back to their hometowns. They get off midway, turn around and head back to Mumbai to give themselves one more shot at the life they want there. Anshul is an aspiring actor with a young son back in Delhi living with his grandmother. Kavith is gay, freshly out of yet another relationship, his 17th by his own count over the years. The two strike up this unusu...
Slightly-unkempt, tired, and frail, Philippe Lanctot moves into an old age home. He is single and apparently his younger sister used to take care of him, but now after his death, he is almost forced to be in this community and he is not happy about it and is almost grumpy. The staff there tries to cheer him up but it's like he has given up on life. Suddenly a man named Victor arrives in his room on wheelchair. He is brash, talks a lot, has no theory of personal space or boundaries and is a chatty Kathy. Philippe finds him quite annoying initially but he soon starts to warm up and the two grow a good friendship where Victor teaches Philippe how it is not so bad to be there with other people. Victor gives Philippe the gift of experiencing the moment. In return, the well-heeled Philippe organizes field trips to dinner and to a botanical garden, and, unknown to Victor, becomes the man’s benefactor when Victor’s children get stingy. In one of the heartfelt conversations, Victor tells how he was married and later realized he was gay and keeps going about touching staff's junk. He also makes Philippe come out since he was always in closet and never had the courage to come out to anyone. Victor pushes Philippe to acknowledge feelings he’s always kept suppressed. The ending is a bit sad because just when Philippe starts to experience some love in his end days of life, Victor gets sick and dies.
Although from a screenplay perspective, there is not really all that much thats happening in this film but you do see how eventually the two men start to form a bond with each other. Victor teaches Philippe how life is to be enjoyed with small little things and the latter appreciates it, He finally finds the meaning of love. With their such contrasting personalities, they truly become an odd gay couple in the latter years of their lives. Its set in late 80s, so you see how people in general including these two enjoy small pleasure of life like sipping the last drops of liquor from a flask, or delighting in merely spending a few moments together. A true friendship and love that eventually blossoms and life happens - again!! The acting by the two main leads is quite good and neither of them ever goes over board. IT is an emotional film which sadly I feel may not connect with current generation as much, but it is a loving celebration of the human spirit, which, hopefully will never die. (5/10)
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