Bisi-Bisi Ice-Cream

Plot: Cab driver Raghava (Aravind Iyer) crosses paths with Mahantesh aka Manto (Gopalkrishna Deshpande), a pimp. Their ego clash leads to tumultuous events in Raghava’s life. Can Raghava undo his first move?

Review: Raghava (Aravind Iyer) is a heartbroken, depressed, and devastated cab driver who is going about life without meaning. A beautiful, mysterious woman (Siri Ravikumar) moves in as his neighbour. Raghava instantly falls for her but is unable to express himself. He is also suffering from a bacterial infection. He crosses paths with Mahantesh aka Manto (Gopalkrishna Deshpande) who is a pimp. Unaware of the fact that the mysterious woman works for Monto as an escort, Raghava gets into a tiff with him, which ends up changing his life. Can Raghava hit reset?

The movie completely revolves around three central characters. Arvind Iyer’s hard work reflects on screen. He looks the part and has given his all for this film. He is lonely and is battling personal demons while also doing his best to keep life afloat. He has delivered what is assigned to him with great conviction. Siri, whose character does not even have a name, conveys anguish and sadness with her eyes beautifully. The silent moments between the protagonists, sharing cigarettes, is shot beautifully, echoing the silence of their lives, but their need to be alone with someone. Gopalkrishna Deshpande has tried something out of his comfort zone, but he is not entirely convincing.

The first half takes off slowly, and despite having only three central characters, director Arvind Shastry takes the entire first half to introduce the characters and their quirks. He makes sure that the mundaneness of the characters are captured and established well. However, the ending is very abrupt and leaves several loose ends untied. It feels as though it was rushed to just quickly end the film. The screenplay is simple and linear, but it lacks clarity. Nakul Abhyankar’s music, albeit eclectic and all over the place, ends up being a character in the film.

Coming from the Kahi director, Bisi Bisi Ice Cream is a unique attempt but is severely bogged down by an underwhelming climax.