Sólstafir

8/10

Eeb Allay Ooo! is a strange name and is fitting to the strange tale. A tale which evidences that there are a lot of stories ingenious to this land which would be very hard to believe the moment you step out of its borders. Would you hire a man to mimic a Langur's cry to ward off monkeys? Anjani, a clever name considering the plot of the film, is a young youth from a village. He has come to the capital city of India in search of a job. The only opportunity he gets is to ward off monkeys from government buildings. In a manner of speaking, it is a government contract job. Anjani for the life of him can't get the fear of monkeys out of his mind, but the job demands him to keep the areas clear of them. He comes up with different innovative ways and by and large succeeds in his out-of-the-box methods, but will his clever ways pass off? It is a really strange plot. But the director Prateek Vats makes it work with utmost sincerity. This here is not a joke. It could very well be handled differently, but Prateek keeps the tone sombre. With his steady frames, he makes you think and puts you in the shoes of Anjani. The capital city of India comes alive like a character in the film. A villain if you will. A city which has civilians feeding the monkeys, and the same city employing people to scare away the same monkeys. The city holds processions on republic day depicting the Langurs from different states, yet can't own up to its own indigenous ancestors. Shardul who plays Anjani has done a fabulous job in showing all shades of him. He is profoundly scared of the monkeys but does not let go. He is innocent and earnest and usually just one idea away from finding a permanent solution to his problems. Eeb Allay Ooo! is definitely recommended, but it is not a usual masala watch. It will take time to know Anjani, but then you will live and face his problems with him.