FILM-FORWARD.COMReviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
EVERYBODY SAYS I'M FINE!
This 2001 Hindi film consists of strung-together episodes that play like a TV sitcom pilot. Revolving
around the eccentric customers of a Bombay hair salon, it relates how salon owner Xen (Rehaan
Engineer) - able to read minds since undergoing a childhood trauma - changes their lives.
His ability (explained in a torturous expository scene) originated when Xen witnessed his
singer parents die in a recording studio accident. The movie's ominous shots of clouds
and a couple of gratuitous subplots contribute to a lack of focus, making it feel as if
writer/director Rahul Bose combined a bunch of ideas into a single film. Bose also plays
Rage, a failed actor and genuinely amusing, albeit similarly distracting character.
This is a shame. With his overarching notion of the damage wreaked by repressed emotions, Bose seems to
have tapped into something fruitful, which is evident in how deftly he manages to make the tonal shift at the
climax believable, as well as in the impact of its final moments. And Bose has some valid points to express
about the effects of a global culture and the caste system. These, however, get lost, as does the development
of Xen's character. He is never credibly haunted by demons, and how he uses his power is adjusted to suit
the given circumstances. Furthermore, Engineer's portrayal results in Xen coming off as an exotic "other" in
a film meant to make the "other" understandable. The supporting cast is more effectively
sympathetic than their would-be anchoring force, Xen. Though some of its individual strands are fine, the
overall film is not. Reymond Levy
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