Anupama Chopra's review: What the Fish

What the Fish begins with the disclaimer that no fish or plants were harmed during the making of this film. But what about the harm done after the making? It is basically cinema as root canal. I suffered it so that you don’t have to, writes Anupama Chopra.

What the Fish
Direction: Gurmmeet Singh
Actors: Dimple Kapadia, Manu Rishi, Manjot Singh, Anand Tiwari
Rating: 1/2*

HT Image

What the Fish begins with the disclaimer that no fish or plants were harmed during the making of this film. I believe that, but what about the harm done after the making? Specifically to those of us hapless individuals whose job necessitates seeing this grotesquely awful film.

I’m certain that I have lost some brain cells in the two hours that I invested into this utterly brainless escapade. The story, by Shashanka Ghosh, isn’t half bad. A cantankerous divorcee, played by Dimple Kapadia, leaves New Delhi for a month. Her niece, who was supposed to feed the precious fish (the divorcee talks to her every day) and water the precious money plant, has to leave town herself.

So she gives the responsibility to her goofy fiancé, who in turn hands it to a friend and so on and so forth. This could have been a fun romp. But in the hands of director Gurmmeet Singh, it’s an excruciating exercise with vapid characters, bewildering plot twists and dismal acting.