Writer, Director, Producer: Jonathan Augustin
Cast: Moin Khan, Nyla Masood, Saagar, Kale, Aneesha Shah
Streaming Platform: Netflix
This movie is a beautiful saga curated by Jonathan Augustin with the two main protagonists as the old and widowed Mrs. D’Souza and the young and struggling Raju Tawade. Recently launched on Netflix, this movie has already topped charts and has been subjected to an immense amount of appreciation for all the rightful reasons.
The plot builds around the life Raju Tawade (Moin Khan), an engineering student whose life turns upside-down when he is asked to fill in for his sick father (Saagar Kale) as a lift boy. After this, the entire story revolves around his time in the job and how it changes his perspective towards life. It is a very simple story but still manages to grasp the attention of the audience and leaves their heart with a warm feeling. The characters projected are also really close to reality and this makes the appeal of the movie grow.
Some other important plot points of the story include the lift boy’s friendship with Princess Kapoor, an 18-year-old resident of the building, the illness of Raju’s father, his struggle with passing engineering, and most importantly his relationship with old Mrs. D’Souza who owns the building.
As soon as Raju starts to get comfortable in his job as a lift boy, life throws yet another googly at him and his father unfolds the truth about his education and the contribution of Mrs. D’Souza in it. Raju’s love and respect for Mrs. D’Souza grows immensely and the story evolves into a beautiful bond of love and care between them. This movie and this relationship comes across as a breath of fresh air for the viewers and redefines the tangents of modern love.
It reflects on the emotions of loneliness in old age, academic pressure, economic pressure, kindness, and morality. Jonathan has also successfully drawn a parallel between the two economic sections of the society and their differences of opinions while keeping intact the similarity in their feelings.
The climax revolves all around the question of whether Raju will pass this time or will the exams bring another failure which brings out Mrs. D’Souza’s selflessness and motherly instincts which are beautifully portrayed in this part.
The ending of the movie, however, seems a little ambiguous and incomplete but overall it’s a good watch which leaves a strong impact and leaves the viewers teary.
‘The Lift Boy’ is definitely worth a watch and if you do watch it, feel free to share your views with us.