For a film whose name invokes so much curiosity, the result was, in one word, disappointing. Ideally, towards the end, I should have been praising this coming-of-age story. Instead, I was left with the question “what was that?”
Netflix’s new release What Are the Odds? is the tale of Vivek and Ashwin. They are two young school-going teenagers in Mumbai whose personalities are poles apart. Vivek is an idiosyncratic, socially awkward, and seemingly rebellious ‘raccoon’ who does not want to give a scholarship exam. She has an incredible talent for music (oh, you thought Vivek is a boy!). Ashwin, on the other hand, is an ambitious, know-it-all school head boy. He could be called a social butterfly and he has never missed an exam in his life.
The plot begins when Vivek steals her hall ticket so that she would not be able to give her an exam. However, she accidentally pockets Ashwin’s ticket too which renders him ineligible for the test. This innocent mistake of hers goes on to show how, through different (mis)adventures, the duo form an unlikely companionship. The trailer provoked my interest in the film since it was portrayed as a story of Indian teens in their local surroundings. I began the film with some expectations based on the trailer. However, all of them were shattered.
Watching the film was perplexing. It was not because it had a complicated plot which was not easy to follow. The film was confusing simply because it lacks linkages between some scenes which rendered it incoherent at times. (Spoiler Alert!) The viewer sees a dance troupe of the elderly at one time and the next scene appears in a bar. Such examples are replete in the film which confounded me. It is suffused with instances of ill-placed dry humor which makes the viewer lose their interest as the movie progresses. The film does not portray the lives of both of its lead characters completely. This is evident from the fact that Ashwin is not given the same emphasis as given to Vivek. The film heavily focuses on her life and issues, from her relationship to her family problems.
However, there are a few things that could be said in its favor. The first and foremost would be its amazing soundtrack. It is groovy and delightful. The acting of Yashaswini Dayama and Karanvir Malhotra (Vivek and Ashwin) bring their respective roles to life which is appealing. They make a good duo given their quirks and shenanigans.
Image Source – India TV
