The never-say-die mantra of its 69-year-old protagonist is what forms the crux of Vijay 69. This is a story of spirit, spunk and resilience which is birthed within Vijay Mathew when he, ironically, is given up for dead.
Played by Anupam Kher with the kind of chameleonic ease that has seen the actor make 500-plus films in 40-odd years, Vijay Mathew’s moment of epiphany arrives in the film’s initial moments when he lands up at his own ‘funeral’. When former swimming coach Vijay is spotted ‘diving’ into the sea in the middle of the night and not turning up till the morning, his friends and family assume the worst. The truth is that Vijay was spending the night at a drunken sesh and when he stumbles on to his coffin the next morning, it is a wake-up call for him.
Even more of a jolt is when he chances upon his best friend Fali’s (Chunky Panday in a crazy scientist wig) clumsily scribbled eulogy for him. Seeing that it barely has a few words on it, Vijay realises that at age 69, he has not really done anything for his loved ones — leave alone the world — to remember him by. Pumped up to prove to everyone that he still has a lot left in him, Vijay aspires to attempt the seemingly impossible — become the oldest man in India to compete in, and more importantly, complete a triathlon.
Though simplistic and largely predictable in theme, tone and treatment, Vijay 69, which is now streaming on Netflix, is the kind of feel-good film that makes you root for its protagonist from the beginning. That happens pretty much organically despite the fact that Vijay is not a very likeable man. Rough around the edges and perpetually ready to shoot off his potty mouth, Vijay signs up for the triathlon after overcoming a host of hurdles, which include naysayers who scoff at the very idea of an almost-septuagenarian planning to cycle, swim and run at an age when his contemporaries are lying back and enjoying a life of retirement. Vijay’s daughter (played by Sulagna Panigrahi) is worried sick about her dad’s sudden ‘paagalpan’ but he finds ready support in Fali and his neighbour Mrs Bakshi (Guddi Maruti makes a welcome comeback).
“Sapno ki koi expiry date nahin hoti” is the idea that lies at the core of Vijay 69. The film is directed by Akshay Roy, who, a few years ago, helmed the underrated made-in-Calcutta film Meri Pyaari Bindu, starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Parineeti Chopra.
Roy, who is also the writer of the film, scores a home run by casting Kher in the titular role. Vijay 69 stands for everything that forms Kher’s life philosophy. The veteran actor’s one-man play Kuch Bhi Ho Sakti Hai, a semi-autobiographical presentation that he has performed around the world, has him talking about the art of rising above repeated failures, changing the course of destiny and, ultimately, achieving success. His books have titles — The Best Thing About You is You and Your Best Day is Today — that are self-explanatory. This is a part that seems to be tailor-made for Kher. It is imperative to mention that in his bid to prepare for this film, Kher learnt swimming for the first time in his life at age 68. If there is anyone best suited to play Vijay Mathew, it is Kher.
It is also interesting that the film’s ‘Angry Old Man’ is called Vijay, a name immortalised on screen by Bollywood’s Angry Young Man, with Amitabh Bachchan’s angsty protagonists in many a superhit film through the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, being named Vijay. This is a smart flip, as well as a homage of sorts, that Vijay 69 is able to pull off well.
At 152 minutes, though, Vijay 69 is a tad long for a film which hinges on a one-line idea. The obstacles that come in the way of Vijay’s single-minded quest to achieving his goal are predictable and in a film like this, one is always aware of what the ending is going to be.
But in this age of predominantly dark content thriving on the morbid and macabre, I would any day prefer a heartwarming, inspirational watch like Vijay 69. That frame of Vijay collapsing in a pool of cathartic tears as he races past the finish line is alone worth the time spent on the film.
