Vijay 69 Movie Cast/Actors: Anupam Kher as Vijay Matthew, Chunky Panday as Dr. Fali, Mihir Ahuja as Aditya Jaiswal & Others
Vijay 69 Movie Director: Akshay Roy
Vijay 69 Production Company: YRF Entertainment & Maneesh Sharma
Vijay 69 Movie Release Date: 8th November, 2024
Vijay 69 Movie Available On: Netflix OTT Platform
Vijay 69 Released/Available In Languages: Hindi
vijay 69 Movie Runtime: 1h 52m
Vijay 69 Movie Critic Review:
When 69-year-old Vijay Matthew (Anupam Kher) looks at a blank list of achievements, he decides it’s time to challenge himself and do something spectacular that would be worth talking about forever.
Written and directed by Akshay Roy with additional dialogues by Abbas Tyrewala, swimming coach Vijay who’s never had a career to flaunt, aims to make history by being the oldest to participate in a triathlon. Swimming, cycling, running.
With an assortment of silver-haired friends like Dr. Fali (Chunky Panday) by his side, it’s not just the triathlon that Vijay has to face. Off the field, he has to get the stubborn Association to permit him to participate, he has to handle the PR floated against him by a young participant’s father, he has to get himself a sponsor and a coach who’ll train him for the event. Plus, his only daughter who’s got a family of her own, won’t support his crazy, obstinate plan.
But having made up his mind, Vijay won’t be deterred even if he has a cranky temper that fetches him the kind of attention he doesn’t need right now.
Once Akshay sets the ground for Vijay’s tough battle and the triumph at the end is obvious, he fills up what’s in between with odds that the 69-year-old widower must overcome. Old friends who turn up serendipitously, youngsters who vlog or pitch in to market him as a product to back, and a coach who agrees to make him fighting fit, come together to make it happen for Vijay.
While the essence that it’s never too late to chase a dream is worthy of cheer, Ashok Roy surrounds it with a simplistic screenplay. Why 18-year-old Aditya Jaiswal (Mihir Ahuja), in the triathlon for a place as the youngest ever participant, has a father who’s antagonistic towards Vijay and tries to trip him at every turn, is unfathomable. After all, Aditya and Vijay are not rivals vying for the same place but are on two different ends of the age spectrum.
It’s also not quite clear why Vijay didn’t have a career except for passing references to having lived for others and not for himself. And what’s wrong with being called a children’s swimming coach for anybody to taunt him or for their taunt to haunt him?
Roy also pads it up with a monologue from Vijay’s daughter who explicably has a change of heart and there are avoidably frequent flashbacks to wife Anna. The overuse of ‘Aage bhijaanenatu’ (from the Yash Chopra directed film Waqt) gets predictable and mushy.
But a picture of friendship and bonds between oldies (who must discuss Piku brand bowel troubles on the daily run), the warm, secret friendship between Aditya and Vijay, and the overall message it emits, make Vijay’s participation in the triathlon an endearing event.
Add to it the charming performances of Anupam Kher, Chunky Panday and Mihir Ahuja for a sweet film that has its drawbacks and predictable moments but makes a happy family watch. Also refreshing to have a straightforward story told in a day when gizmos and special effects drown every narration.
Vijay Matthew’s triathlon story may be safely bracketed with Oochaai, The Signature, Club 60 and the growing library of cinema on seniors.
Vijay 69 – Watch It or Not?: Since it’s on OTT, Vijay 69 may be watched without tension by the young and the old.
Vijay 69 Review Score Rating: 3 out of 5 (i.e. 3/5)
Vijay 69 Official Trailer:
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