Real Reels’ Unlock Zindagi (UA) is set in the Coronavirus pandemic lockdown days. It is the story of businessman Rajesh (Rajesh Gupta) who has a change of heart while helping the mother of his daughter’s friend.
Rajesh is confined to his house during the lockdown. He is with his wife, Sonal (Devika Daftardar), daughter, Kashish (Kashish Gupta), son and father. He ventures out to get the death certificate from a doctor when his daughter’s friend, Ananya (Hemal Dev), loses her maternal grandmother. Since Ananya and her mother, Sapna (Indira Krishnan), are the only two members in the family, Rajesh helps them in also completing the funeral formalities and cremating the dead body. In the process, he meets and gets talking to Raghu (Pitobash Tripathi), the ambulance driver. How he changes Raghu’s life, and how his own perspective changes are the crux of the drama.
Rajesh Gupta’s story is okay but it won’t really make any impact on the viewers because it offers no novelty. Also, the public wants to forget the lockdown days, but this story reminds them of those horrifying days. The screenplay is quite unimaginative. Rajesh Gupta’s dialogues are ordinary.
Rajesh Gupta is average as businessman Rajesh. Pitobash Tripathi does a fair job as ambulance driver Raghu. Devika Daftardar is okay as Rajesh’s wife, Sonal. Indira Krishnan lends reasonable support as Sapna. Hemal Dev is so-so as Ananya. Shivani Surve is alright as Raghu’s wife, Charu. Kashish Gupta lends routine support as Kashish. Others pass muster.
Rajesh Gupta’s direction is nothing to shout about. Rohit Nagbhide’s music is alright but his background music ought to have been better. Lyrics (Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Rajesh Gupta) are okay. Girish R. Jambhalikar’s camerawork is ordinary. Santosh Sankhad’s art direction hardly deserves separate mention. Santosh Gothoskar’s editing leaves something to be desired.
On the whole, Unlock Zindagi is a flop show.
Released on 19-5-’23 at Glamour (daily 1 show) and other cinemas of Bombay thru Rishabh Enterprise. Publicity & opening: poor. …….Also released all over.