Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota Review: Vasan’s Nuanced Direction, Abhimanyu, Radhika and Gulshan’s Crackling Chemistry Makes It A Terrific Film

Film: Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota

Director: Vasan Bala

Actors: Abhimanyu Dassani, Radhika Madan

Rating: 4 out of 5

My Verdict: Such is a film worth spending for; it will make your day, it surely made mine!

Vasan Bala’s action-comedy is perhaps one of the best I have seen in the genre, especially in the Bollywood repertoire. There have been many comedy films that aimed to do what this film does and failed miserably.

To cut the long story short, the film traces the story of boy called Surya with a rare genetic disorder CIPA (congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis) which prevents him the sensation of any kind of pain, no matter what the injury or even self-infliction of wounds for that matter. This condition itself lets him develop a psychology wherein he thinks he can fight the world and emerge victorious!  Well, any kind of incongruity or nonconformity can make people scoff and stigmatise at the person who has it and that’s exactly what happens to a young Surya which leads him to lead a sequestered life. He has some company though, an over-protective and under-confident father played by Jimit Trivedi and a pragmatic grandfather played by Mahesh Manjrekar and not to forget, his only friend Supri played with elan by the superb Radhika Madan.

Surya has a closeted desire to become a fight master and he literally lives on VHS tapes of martial arts movies to learn a thing or two and shape his personality overall. In an outrageous turn of events he comes face to face with a cliché psychotic villain and the rest is a heady cocktail of satire, emotions and blunders which make the film, the sheer enjoyment it is.

There are so many throw away references here and there for movie buffs. The city of Mumbai too has many references in the film. Gulshan Devaiah in the crackling double role is just ultimate! The absurdity of Gulshan’s character and the way he brought it out is commendable! The film doesn’t look forced! Every detail has been given a thought and the sheer treatment of the film has been done such that it looks cool, standalone, stylish and pied ninnyish all at once! The film does have its loopholes, but as someone very sensible had once told me that a good film is one which has loopholes but the totality of it covers them all! This film does just that!

Abhimanyu Dassani is surely talented. The lad has put his heart and soul in the performance. It shows! He makes his presence felt in the scenes he is part of. The fact that he is new, the fact that he is raw - adds a certain amount of plausibility to the character he plays because ‘Surya’ is a raw character, someone who hasn’t had a lot of meaningful interactions with reality, with life, someone who is a fresher to the real world as we know it. His action scenes are great, his dialogue delivery is apt, and what’s most important is, he seems to have understood the character!

Radhika Madan is a find! Literally! This is her second outing in films and she is terrific with her action scenes. She plays an at once complacent and nonchalant and at once caring, loveable and understanding girl. Her Supri act is almost a lesson for all the millennials out there, she is not a rebel without a cause. Her actions have a reason, sometimes, things she has perhaps seen and experienced growing up! Supri’s psyche has been very nicely written and brought out and Radhika plays her with an ease which is quite uncommon in a newcomer!

Mahesh Manjrekar’s granddad act too is praiseworthy. He infuses a certain amount of likeability to his character with his portrayal and that was the intention too!

Director Vasan Bala is excellent in his craft and let’s not make any bones about it! I became a strong admirer of his work after watching Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota! It is his character and the way he uses sarcasm to highlight their flaws and he doesn’t shy away from it! His treatment of the subject is masterly! You see, the lesser said, the better. The way he used old songs that perfectly blend into the visual narrative is another facet that must be mentioned, oh and yes - the 1970s -80s pop touch to film too stood out, lent a flavour to the visual senses and how!

The quirk in the film has also been brought out by the camera work and hence kuddos to cinematographer Jay I Patel for having done it adeptly. The choice of colours to heighten the mood of the scene was spot on! The background score was awesome too, it enhanced the 1970s-80s pop touch the film was seething with!

SUCH IS A FILM WORTH SPENDING FOR! Don’t Miss It, it will make your day, it surely made mine!