Review: Percy (1989)

I finally watched a flick that I am proud to say it’s in my mother-tongue, Gujarati! 'Percy' is about a young, innocent, shy Parsi boy in his late 20s who reflects us in so many ways. Based on the short-story of Gujarati writer Cyrus Mistry The movie delicately portraits a sensitive, misfit Percy. He could not express his innermost feelings and gradually lapses into his elusive world of music and dance. The movie has received the ‘Best Gujarati Film Award’ of 1989 at the 37^th National Film Award. I am recommending to all who love to watch gentle and thoughtful movies. 

Percy (Kurush Deboo) lives with his religious, hard-working, sweet, and caring mother Banubai (Ruby Patel) in a resident of the middle-class Parsi community. He works at a drugstore not much liked by his fellow colleagues, gets constant taunt from his neighbours, his heart breaks when his childhood friend Vera gives news of her wedding, gets criticized for being a delicate and not like a ‘man,’ he could not express himself, and so on. Ain’t he us? He finds his happy place in music and creates an imaginary world around him. I find it in cinema and escape from reality around me. We all do. We all run in our happy places. Everything was going good (?) until an event took place and shattered all the illusions of him. 

This movie is not for all to see, but this movie is for all to experience. You will find yourself with Percy at home enjoying a favourite piece of music and dancing alone, in following the love of your life at the same time losing it in moments, in the day on the busy streets, loitering which feels like lost, at nights on sleepy roads, drifting aimlessly reaching to nowhere. Since it is not a box-office targeted flick, we could put it in an art film. 

Blissfully this movie has avoided all the stereotypical cringe of an average Gujarati movie (I have grown up seen tons of them). So, until I watch a good film of its match (Bhavani Bhavai, Dhad, Reva, Hun Hunshi Hunshilal, The Good Road, and Santu Rangili (adaption of the novel Pygmalion) are yet to watch), this will be my most favourite Gujarati of all time. You can buy it from here, or you can watch it at the Mubi Platform (15 more days to watch there). 

Ratings:

Mubi: 8.1/10

My: 4/5