Goodbye Is A Reflection Of Modern Day Father-Children Relationship

Goodbye is a family drama based on the theme of loss and grief. Vikas Bahl's directorial is an emotional roller coaster ride with a subtle touch of humour. Goodbye, nowhere fails you to cry, and it warms the heart. High on emotions and perhaps, at places will make you sad. The film touches on several themes, which focus on post-death rituals, brown father-grownup children relationships, and slight feministic tones.

The film delves into the life of the Bhalla Family and the loss they are currently suffering. The Bhalla family seems a modern version of Baghban, where the mother's death brings all children together. The film navigates differences between father-children and how their thought process makes them different. The director calls out on all the above issues but justifies them. It is more of - the 'yeh theek hai, and yeh bhi theek hai' concept. The viewer can relate to the constant tussles between science and ancient rituals. The film tries harder to be inclusive, but it fails terribly. It addresses adoption, attempts to show Punjabi Boy-Northeast Girl love angles, India-foreign marriage, and philosophical take on outdated rituals. 

Goodbye Film Review, Performances Can Make You Cry!

Rashmika Mandanna's Tara Bhalla is a lawyer and a feminist. She argues and questions everything which doesn't feel right, and her father, Harish Bhalla (Amitabh Bachchan), though a progressive man, has his prejudices. These prejudices create a rift between the father-daughter duo. Every girl from an Indian family can relate to Tara's character. As the brown girl, she is always asked to do things without questioning them, just for the sake of 'Dusro Ki Khushi Ke Liye Kar lena'. 

Tara is constantly irritated with her father's behaviour and everything he does. She also raises uncomfortable questions like why only the son gets the cremation rights and not the daughter. Tara forces you to think about many aspects. She has the perspective of every Indian girl. Even if her Bollywood debut performance did not leave a mark, her Hindi accent was weak and not convincing. Neena Gupta, who plays the deceased mother, Gayatri, is always on her A game irrespective of the limited screen time. Gayatri is shown as a progressive, vibrant, fun-loving mother who is more of a friend to her children. Gayatri could have been the role-model mother for the audience. Also, the director gave Gayatri the typical role of stick-together-the-family duty. 

The film is too crowded; few characters were not required. For example, the Elli AvrRam had nothing to do with the film's conflict, only used for a few gags. Sunil Grover's role of pandit was not easy-going, and it seemed planted. Amitabh Bachchan is a convincing father, having a few of the best dialogues. 

Amidst all flaws, the background score is one of the film's highlights. Amit Trivedi and Swanand Kirkire created some vibrant music, which adds freshness to it. Overall, the film titled Goodbye is about the Bhalla family coming to terms to say Goodbye to their deceased mother/ spouse. The film is a breaker to a recent trend of power-packed, humongous action films with a heavy dump of VFX. Goodbye has ample moments that will make you smile with teary eyes. 

The views expressed are the author's own.

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