Binny And Family review: Anjini Dhawan makes a delightful debut with a heartfelt, though overstretched drama
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Binny And Family review: Sometimes, it's the film you go in with absolutely no baggage of hit songs, big stars, or franchise factor, that ends up surprising you. Binny And Family is that film. The debut vehicle of Varun Dhawan's niece Anjini Dhawan, the tagline 'Har generation kuchh kehti hai' fits perfectly here.
The plot
The story revolves around an 18-year-old Binny, who has shifted to London from Bihar along with her family, and gets a visit from her dada-dadi (played by Pankaj Kapur and Himani Shivpuri) every year for two months. She has to share her room with them. And the only thing she asks for from her parents Vinay (Rajesh Kumar) and Radhika (Charu Shankar), is her own space. Naturally, there's so much scope for tension here: grandparents have their own way of looking at things, and when met with rebellion from their grandkids, it is bound to lead to fireworks.
But director Ssanjay Tripathy decidedly doesn't stick to screaming matches between the two generations. The film takes some time to find its footing as it begins, but the presence of such a good cast lifts the material on paper. Binny's family changes their lifestyle around their elders- changing the bar into a bookshelf, door signs featuring expletives into a mantra, and so on.
Binny, like any other teenager, also has her own set of pressures; to fit in, finding love, making a space for herself in school. It's the portions in school which don't gel much with the rest of the story though. If removed from the plot, Binny And Family would still be able to deliver the same message, in a crisper runtime.
The second half definitely went into an overdrive mode driving home the point that Binny feels guilty for not letting her ailing grandmother come to London again for better treatment, who passes away in Bihar.
Loneliness in old age- and even as a teenager because you feel nobody understands you- is another theme the makers touch upon. And that's quite effective. The loss of a partner and its impact is brought forth beautifully by Pankaj Kapur. His chemistry with his granddaughter, played by Anjini, is extremely believable.
Which brings us to the report card of the debutante. It's a confident debut by Anjini, in an age-appropriate role. Kudos to her for not waiting for a conventional glamorous debut, and proving her mettle with a character which was complex indeed. The guilt she feels as her grandmom dies, blaming herself somewhere, is handled well. A fresh casting for the titular role definitely helped Binny And Family. I am looking forward to see what she chooses next.
All about the performances
Pankaj, Himani, Charu and Rajesh- everyone has done a splendid job, bringing to life 'the family'. Especially the scene where an already frustrated Binny has a showdown with her father about her grandparents visiting London again.
Binny And Family isn't a pathbreaking story, I agree. Films before this have dealt with the generation gap as well, true that. But the makers here craft such beautiful sequences, that you can't help but connect with the emotions. Relatable to the core, I hope films like Binny And Family find an audience. If you're watching it in a theatre (and not waiting for it's OTT release, as is the case sadly for non-tentpole films), go with your grandparents. You will exit with a smile.
