Pankh

Pankh starring Bipasha Basu and debutante Maradona Rebello along with an experienced star cast of Mahesh Manjrekar and Lillette Dubey boasts of not being a run-of-the-mill potboiler's by any chance and promises to take edgy cinemas to a new level. Without dragging too much let me break the suspense right away, director Sudipto Chattopadhyay's Pankh is a disaster in its true sense. Parents forcing their lofty ambitions on their kids are nothing novel. What could have been novel is the way of approach and portrayal. Sudipto messes up big time in both the script and its direction.
Jerry (Maradona) who attained stardom as a child artist playing Baby Kusum turns a homosexual due to the confusing childhood he led. Despite his father's undying protest, his ambitious mother doesn't seem to speak of ending the child's misery. Due to his sexual identity crisis, he grows up unloved, lonely and friendless. Slowly he begins to befriend his pet turtles and an imaginary friend Nandini (Bipasha). What happens to the turbulence in his mind and his relationship with his mother forms the rest of the story.
Pankh, long in the making, is heavy on its message and bizarre in its theme with pretension of profundity. It lacks a cohesive, decent and gripping tale that keeps you hooked on the screen. Most of what the script has to say seems senseless and fictitious. It's extremely dark theme and some disturbing moments although is imaginary, makes it hard to digest and sit through. And when the script fails to create the necessary impact, the overwhelming shots are introduced with different hues, tones and colors. Lighter moments to relax are few and far as the film deals with many confusing sub-themes like - too many biblical references, the oedipal complex, a delusional superhero, the homosexuality and the abusiveness. Packed with abusive scene and nudity, the films climax is no different and is a complete shocker. Not for the light-hearted.
Bipasha Basu's super glam avatar's seems to make no sense what-so-ever. Besides she hams in her performance big time. From her dialogue delivery to her expressions, Bips doesn't get t right. First timer actor Maradona Rebello appears to have given it his best however isn't consistent in his performance. Lillette Dubey is unintentionally hilarious and way too over the top. Mahesh Manjrekar is okay.
To sum up, Pankh do not have any entertainment value and it could not be completely passed as an art film. Works in bits but not for the faint hearted.