The Mehta Boys review: The boys keep it raw and real as long as they can!

Boman Irani’s directorial debut echoes of Piku until it slightly shifts its honest and intense soft gaze for fictional catharsis! 

“Fathers and sons are always tricky,” quips a character in The Mehta Boys, acknowledging the universal truth that these relationships are often marked by unspoken tension and unresolved emotions. Boman Irani’s directorial debut delves into this complexity, exploring the delicate dance of finding understanding in a bond fraught more with distance among men hardened by society than misunderstandings. In doing so, the film reveals another truth: the inevitable shift where a child must become the adult, navigating the challenges of caring for a parent who struggles to relinquish their role of authority.

The film centers on the fractured relationship between Amay Mehta (Avinash Tiwary) and his father, Shiv Mehta (Boman Irani), who are constantly forced into close proximity after the sudden death of Amay’s mother. As circumstances prevent Shiv from traveling to America with his daughter Anu, he stays with Amay in Mumbai in his apartment. What follows are a series of forceable situations where these two poles apart men are pushed together, leading to deepening the cracks in the wall they built. Small, everyday tensions—whether to leave the lights on or off, sleeping arrangements, no electricity or getting stuck in a lift—lead to arguments that expose long-buried issues. It’s as if the space they inhabit says the unsaid words and becomes a metaphor for their relationship, with the cracks in the ceiling dripping water and the collapsing terrace mirroring the emotional fractures between them. As an architect, the hope relies on Amay to fix both, literally and figuratively. 

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Amay is the kind of person who gets in his own ways, unable to trust his own instincts despite the supportive environment of his girlfriend Zara (Shreya Chaudhry) and his encouraging boss. Avinash Tiwary brings an emotionally breaking subtlety to the role, portraying a man teetering on the edge, wrestling to make his dreams come true while grappling with long held emotions that could burst any moment. In contrast, Shiv embodies the classic father figure—tough and stern with an underlying softness that emerges in moments of vulnerability. Boman Irani skillfully navigates this duality, shifting effortlessly between comedic and serious tones, grounding the character in authenticity of a father figure who teaches through tough love and restocks empty fridges. 

What stands out and is commendable of Irani and his co-writer Alexander Dinelaris is the confidence in letting the story unfold naturally, relying on subtle, intimate details to create emotional depth. For instance, Shiv’s grip on the car’s handbrake, Amay’s complacency with helping his father with his suitcases or Amay’s sister Anu (Puja Sarup) being caught between the two stubborn men - all of this speaks volumes about their dynamic. These nuances quietly comment on how it’s hard to let go, be tough with parents or women often bearing the burden of navigating conflicts between men who refuse to act like responsible adults. Even Zara serves as a shoulder to rely on, through whom bits of the past are revealed, without the need for diving into detailed exposition. This is why it feels disappointing when the film, which has so far thrived on its rawness and restraint, resorts to a monologue about returning to one’s roots for a neatly packaged ending, sacrificing the complexity it had built up.

However Krish Makhija’s camera work is captivating, effortlessly finding cinematic beauty in everyday moments—like a trampoline soaring into the air with two men standing beneath it. The lens moves with the purpose of visual storytelling, using sharp focus and close-ups that make it feel as though the camera itself is narrating the story. As the focus shifts from one character speaking to another listening intently, the camera reads the subtle emotional shifts, capturing the present’s unspoken tension even as the past is recounted. 

There’s no set age when you realize your parent may need you to become theirs. It’s not defined by years but by moments—those instances when you witness their helplessness. To that accord, The Mehta Boys captures that bittersweet turning point, telling the coming-of-age story of an uncertain son who resists the responsibility of growing up at every turn, and a stubborn, grieving father who refuses to let go or accept help. What begins with a handshake at a wife and mother’s funeral ends with a handshake and kiss at the airport—a subtle but profound gesture for a relationship as complicated and ever-evolving as that of a father and son. For now, that’s enough—especially for Hindi cinema, which has traditionally focused on mothers or the toxic legacies rarely delving into the fractured emotional state of father-son relationships!

The Mehta Boys is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video! 

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