On the face of it, nothing vitally important happens in Sudip Bandyopadhyay’s debut feature, Hope Aur Hum. It is when you look closely, that everything makes perfect sense and a finely-woven narrative tapestry becomes evident. At Film Comments, we see why this Naseeruddin-starrer is quite absorbing in the Hope Aur Hum film review.
More often than not, you don’t need to be bombastic to connect with an audience. Movies depicting ordinary people going about their everyday lives seem to strike a chord with the viewer. Living in a quaint neighborhood of Mumbai, the Srivastava’s are like any other family that you’d come across, and life moves on from one day to the next. The patriarch of the family, Nagesh (Naseeruddin Shah), shares a deep bond with his old German-made photocopier as he addresses it much like a friend. Nagesh’s son, Neeraj (Aamir Bashir), is hopeful of getting a promotion while his wife, Aditi (Sonali Kulkarni), manages the household. We also see Nagesh’s younger son, Nitin (Naveen Kasturia), swing by for a holiday with his family.
The story has three distinct plots. As Nagesh clings on to his old photocopier, his grandson, Anu (Kabir Shaikh) witnesses something at his grandmother’s (Beena Banerjee) house that disturbs him and his Dubai-based son, Nitin is trying to get his phone back, ending up having quite an adventure.
The narrative swings seamlessly between the plots. Undoubtedly, the interaction between Nagesh and his photocopier is charming and probably the most deftly sketched-out. However, everyone will have their favorites, and as a whole, the movie works rather well too, with the universal themes of destiny and hope peppered throughout the film.
Hope Aur Hum is about an hour and a half and with its spot-on editing it ensures that there isn’t a dull moment. Keeping the audiences hooked for most of its screentime, the story has many things going right for it.
Naseeruddin Shah portraying Nagesh is the pillar providing the impetus for the story to propel forward. Sonali Kulkarni and Aamir Bashir make a delightful onscreen couple, while the child actors competently portray their onscreen children. In particular, Kabir Shaikh, who plays Nagesh’s grandson, is commendable as he admirably navigates the different moods of his character, which swing from being effervescent and genuinely passionate about cricket to one who is perplexed by the rather strange developments.
In sticking to its strengths and knowing its limitations, Hope Aur Hum turns out to be an enjoyable watch. Persisting with a well-grounded story and resisting to push the boundaries, works rather well for the filmmakers. If you have some time to spare, Hope Aur Hum makes for a welcome distraction.
Hope Aur Hum film review rates Hope Aur Hum 
(3 / 5)
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