Bubble Gum Movie Review: Bubble Gum: Sweet and Chewy

At a time when exaggerated acts and unrealistic plotlines are the order of the day, the tenderness with which it deals with its subject matter, makes director Sanjivan Lal's Bubble Gum a beautifully refreshing watch.

Though the film's story, one about first loves, teenaged heartaches and sibling bonding might make one think of it as a children's film, especially since it is, in fact, a set of children who occupy top line roles in the plot, Lal makes it clear that this is more a film about childhood, rather than a children's film. Set in Jamshedpur, the film is evocative of another coming-of-age film from recent times, Udaan, set in the same city, though Bubble Gums light hearted vision is nowhere as tempered as the former.

Bubble Gum is also a hark back to the golden age of the '80s, when the television and the computer were yet to invade our homes, and kids were content writing letters to each other and playing kabbaddi in the playground instead of tweeting and 'poking' at each other on the internet. Lal does right to set his plot in the era, as the simplicity of his story, where telephone calls were borrowed, children genuinely waited and pined for festivals like Holi and disputes could be settled over simply sharing a stick of the titular 'bubble gum', would be out of place in a more recent decade.

The film deals with Vedant (Delzad Hiravali), a 14-year-old school boy, who is going through a rather delicate phase in his young life, experience his first crush, an attraction towards a pretty girl next door, Jenny (Apoorva Arora), even as he fends off a rivalry with a neighbourhood boy, Ratan (Suraj Singh), who is attracted to Jenny as well. In the midst of this, Vedant's attention is scattered by the arrival of his elder brother, the deaf-and-mute Vidur (Sohail Lakhani), from his Delhi hostel. Home for the holidays, Vidur, Vedant feels, has become the focus of all their parents' attention, something he find hard to deal with. As Vidur realises what his brother is going through, he comes through for him as an older brother should, giving the film, not an ideal, but a realistic end.

The beauty of Bubble Gum lies in how natural the action and progression of events here is. Though the film is a bit too slow-paced for some tastes, there is nothing here that feels unnatural or forced. It is rather satisfying to see the way Vidur and Vedant's relationship develop, especially so since Sanjivan beautifully chooses to make Vidur the archetypal, understanding, mature older brother sort, even if he is handicapped. In fact, in a touching scene, the parents of the two, Sachin Khedekar and Tanvi Azmi, stand around in the kitchen wondering which of their children is really the handicapped one, whether is the wise, gentle Vidur or the dynamic, angsty Vedant, who has been feeling neglected for years.

The film also rides high on its performances, each of which are some of the most sincere acts in recent times. Delzad Hiravali shows great promise as Vedant, perfectly cast as the confused teenager trying to find his own world view and place. Sohail Lakhani, as Vidur, also conveys every emotion required without speaking a single word. Sanjivan deserves kudos for casting a person who is actually deaf and mute, instead of casting an actor to carry the role. The others, like Apoorva Arora and Suraj Singh are quite natural as well, while the parents, Sachin Khedekar and Tanvi Azmi play their roles to perfection.

Bubble Gum deserves a watch for nostalgia's sake, if nothing else. Not just in its '80s settings, but also in the innocence and sincerity of its storyline, the film harks back to a simpler times, a simpler era. Though this certainly isn't an auteur's work, with little to say about the use of visuals or sound, one certainly thinks that Sanjivan Lal deserves praise for the guileless story he weaves here, in Bubble Gum.