‘Goodbye’: A Poignant Family Drama About Death Which Is Unmissable

Summary: With an emotional storyline and captivating performances, Goodbye is one of the best films in recent times for B-Town

Introduction: Family is an integral part of anyone’s life. We all are incomplete without it. Bollywood has been trying to regain its lost glory with a mixed bag of films like ‘Brahmastra,’ ‘Rakshabandhan,’ ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi,’ ‘Vikram Vedha,’ and so on. Fans that have not gotten a chance to see a feel-good yet well-made film in the past few months don’t have to wait anymore. The renowned director Vikas Bahl has brought a riveting family drama film ‘Goodbye.’

Plot: The film’s main plot revolves around the changing dynamics because of family patriarch Harish’s (Amitabh Bachchan) wife Gayatri’s (Neena Gupta) death. Gayatri dies too quickly. Her unexpected death is a huge shocker for Harish and their four adult children. Each one has different ways to cope with their grief.

Storyline: Harish, the patriarch of the family, who is also the father of their four adult children, becomes a religious person. The spunky and fiery-headed daughter Tara (Rashmika Mandanna) becomes an atheist and starts hating the existence of religious rituals. For her, all these things are just meaningless and waste. She parties hard and lives in the moment. She is at loggerheads with her father Harish.

Karan (Pavail Gulati), who comes home with his American wife Daisy (Elli AvrRam), is a severe workaholic. He is having a business meeting during his mother’s ongoing cremation. While Angad (Sahil Mehta) indulges in stress-eating, on the flip side, Nakul (Abhishek Khan) is an emotionally unreachable person. While, no one in Harish’s family has ever been to a funeral. Due to that, they don’t know the importance of these archaic rituals related to death.

Performances: Special mention to the fact that Rashmika has given a nuanced performance as Tara, who is dealing differently with the loss of her mother. It felt like the role was tailor-made for her. Amitabh Bachchan as Harish, has essayed the character with finesse and perfection. Other characters like Pavail Gulati as Karan, Sahil Mehta as Angad, and Abhishek Khan as Nakul have also played their roles effortlessly with confidence. But out of them all, Amitabh Bachchan and Rashmika Mandanna, stole the limelight with their stellar and nuanced acting in the film. ‘Goodbye’ has a blend of emotional undertones, a riveting storyline, an impressive star cast, and beautiful moments which make us realize the importance of having a family.

Review: The film has been garnering rave reviews and applause from audiences and critics for brilliantly using black humor as it deals with the after-effects of the shocking death, which shakes the foundation of entire family. In simple words, this Indian reimagination of the classic Hollywood film ‘Death at a Funeral,’ has been a risk that paid off well. ‘Goodbye’ has effectively stirred emotions of love and longing in the audiences and critics. There’s been a superb representation of all the main characters in the film. Exceptional direction and cinematography by Vikas Bahl with flashbacks of Gayatri that appear in the film have earned brownie points.

When Gayatri returns in flashbacks for all the main characters, Harish has nostalgia for their romantic love story. Tara, feels teary-eyed for not returning her mother’s phone calls. Karan sweetly revisits a precious childhood memory and misses his mom at that moment. ‘Goodbye’ with a mix of dark humor and squabbles, which are a part of the bereavement after-effects experienced by the family brought to screens brilliantly by Vikas Bahl, is a tale of moving on and letting go.

By Vrinda Mundara

2022

'Goodbye' Film Review