Tathastu Review

It's a story that you've seen several times before. A man is desperate to save his son from the clutches of the devils of destiny. A man who can go to any distance to safeguard the interests of his family. Director Anubhav Sinha's Tathastu is the story of one such man Ravi (Sanjay Dutt) who has to fight the odds of the system to try-n-save something very dear to his heart.

Ravi's eight year old son Gaurav (Yash Pathak) has a hole in his heart and he has to undergo a heart transplant surgery which will cost a whopping Rs 15 lakhs. Sarita (Amisha Patel), Gaurav's mother is crestfallen and Ravi is clueless as to how he can possibly raise up such a huge sum of money. After making failed attempts at getting help from his office, loan giving agencies, insurance companies etc. the desperate father takes the unusual route of holding several people hostage within the hospital premises.

The police try to show him the door of reason but they fail in all their attempts. A doctor (Jaya Prada), her inspector husband (Anup Soni) and many other people join him in his protest. The hackneyed storyline also moves forward on the clutches of a politician also in need of a heart transplant. And the despicable politico issues a threat-statement that if a donor is not found then the government will fall. As Tathastu heads towards its ending, one can clearly notice that the makers had lost interest in the plot. What is left behind is a bhelpuri of emotions and little else.

Sanjay Dutt as the father-on-the-edge has done a fine job. Although there are moments when he seems disinterested, Dutt delivers a controlled performance. Amisha Patel once again does the weepy part in a total contrast. Firstly she doesn't look like the mother of an eight year old and moreover she should have taken a leaf out of her Mangal Pandey getup where the no-make up look worked well for her. In a serious situation one expects a more somber picture than a painted-nails one. Jaya Prada gives life to her brief role and it is heartening to note that she still looks a million dollars in spite of years catching up with her. Yash Pathak as the young kid is likable and instills the requisite amount of pathos from the audience.

Anubhav Sinha is a talented director who did a stylish job in Dus and an emotionally satisfying one in Tum Bin. He shows signs of brilliance in portions of Tathastu but somehow he has been let down by slipshod screenplay by Yash-Vinay. If only the screenplay would have been devoid of excesses, Tathastu would have been a better film. Vishal-Shekhar's music is average and cinematography by Ravi Walia is honest when it comes to detailing the circumstances.
 
Tathastu: A requiem to a father