Binny And Family Movie Review: Anjini Dhawan, Pankaj Kapur's family drama is a tale that needs to be told

Binny And Family is a parivarik drama film that takes one down memory lane of family dynamics. The film features Pankaj Kapur, Rajesh Kumar, Charu Shankar and Himani Shivpuri in major roles, while Varun Dhawan's niece Anjini Dhawan marks her debut with Ssanjay Tripaathy's film. The director holds tight on unsaid family emotions and makes the viewers cry out loud. Veteran actor Pankaj Kapur is the heartbeat of the film and will make you want to give a call to your grandparents. Binny And Family is a tale that not only talks about generation gap but also gives equal opportunity to the generations to make it right for each. Binny And Family is an emotional watch and tissue papers are necessary for viewers belonging to a joint family.

Story

Binny And Family begins with obviously the protagonist Binny played by Anjini. One gets to see a free-spirited 12th class student, who resides in London and writes-directs plays for her school. She has an Upper East Side high-maintenance best friend Pub Goer (played by Ravi Multani) who is not only brand-obsessed but also plays the perfect friend in each situation. Binny lives in a two-room home with her parents in London and occasionally shares her room with her Bihari grandparents when they visit her. Rajesh Kumar and Charu Shankar play the supportive and understanding parents who try to be the glue of the family. 

The story progresses when once again Binny's grandparents, played by Pankaj Kapur and Himani Shivpuri visit London and the younger one has a tough time adjusting to the change. Things turn upside down when Binny's crush Dhruv Singh played by Tai Khan breaks her heart and she fails in handling the situation. Not only she runs away from her home for a night but also puts her father in a tough situation where he prioritises her emotions over his mother's bad health. We then get to watch one of the toughest scenes in the film when Binny's grandmother expires and leaves behind a family that is tangled in their fair share of understandings. Does Binny get a chance to make it right to her baba, does Rajesh's character get the closure he deserves, do Binny and family eventually get along, watch the film in theatres to get your answers. 

Writing and Direction

Director Ssanjay Tripaathy creates an engaging tale and storytelling that speaks to practically every generation. The filmmaker shows complex relationships in the most simple and lovely way. Aside from talking about joint family bonds, Binny And Family makes a sly dig at young people and Generation Z who live pretentious lives for likes on social media sites and share everything digitally, feeling hollow and lonely on the inside. However, the writing of Binny And Family could have been more crisp. A few scenes seem too stretched and some abrupt cuts and black screen ends hamper the overall experience. One can also expect some more powerful dialogues in a few instances, however, the music of the film compensates for the same. Vishal Mishra's 'Zindagi' song and Sunidhi Chauhan's 'Kuch Humare' deserve appreciation. They rightly set the tonality of the film.  

Acting 

Anjini Dhawan has made an impactful debut as Binny. She has range and caters to the emotional part of the film well. However, in some scenes, it seems like she's just acting and not living the character. But she smashes it out of the park in the sentimental confrontation scenes at the end of the movie. One can hope that the actor will evolve in her next films and can prove to be a better option than some new-age actors. Pankaj Kapur is the main character in the film, despite being in a supportive role he takes over the scenes every time he appears in a frame. The veteran actor brings everything to the table and leaves you with no option but to sob. Rajesh Kumar is phenomenal as a Bihar-born son who talks about the middle-class approach of a son and father. How they always try to bridge the gap but also are the ones hurting. The film does not glorify a father's act but just shows him in a human light. Charu Shankar and Himani Shivpuri are good mothers and display the different approaches of mothers belonging to different generations. 

Verdict 

Binny And Family is a good watch with ignorable mistakes. The family film is meant for Indian families to watch it together and open up. It ignites conversations that need to be held and brings up topics that need our attention. The film talks about the dynamic of not only grandparents' and grandchildren' relations but also children's and parents' relations from a generation difference point of view. Its dialogues like 'Love transcends all physical boundaries' and 'Zindagi ki expiry date toh hoti hai par zindagi jeene ki nahin', will stay with you for long. Over all the film has its heart in the right place and easily deserves 3 stars.