Nirma Sahastrabuddhi (Mithila Palkar) hates the number 11, because she thinks it is inauspicious. Her reasons for feeling so is how the number is associated so tragically associated with the New York Twin Tower attacks. Being a Mandarin translator, she also needs to figure out how to eat with chopsticks (which also represents '11' in a way). Chopsticks, Netflix's latest Indian Original film, is about how the 'unlucky' number changes the life of the young, naive Nirma by giving her the worst day of her life. Chopsticks Trailer: This Mithila Palkar and Abhay Deol Starrer Netflix Original Promises a Crazy Ride.

Nirma loses her brand-new i-10 car the same day she bought it. At the police station, Nirma is told that the lawmen can't help her. Only one man can do so, and that's a master thief simply called Artist (Abhay Deol).

On meeting him, Nirma finds this Artist to be a quirky personality with an obsession for culinary arts. Taking an interest in her cowering nature, Artist agrees to help Nirma in retrieving her car. In doing so, both come in the path of a fearful don Faiyaz Bhai (Vijay Raaz) and his prized goat, Baahubali.

For a slice-of-life comedy, Chopsticks takes off on a great start. The first act is about getting into the mindset of the meek Nirma and how her growth is restricted in her workplace for being a 'behenji'. Her naive attitude makes Nirma such a pitying creature that we can totally relate, as she deals with family WhatsApp groups, a creepy wi-fi repairman and snobby co-workers. So when her car gets stolen, it is easy to feel Nirma's pain and anguish. After all, she hadn't even taken the plastic of the seats!

More than the loss of her car, it is her meeting with Artist, the conman who likes to shroud himself in mystery, that changes her outlook towards life. Their interactions have some nice moments, especially a scene on the terrace of Artist's hideout where Nirma gets a lesson on how a leap in the right direction can make things right.

But I was not in awe of the character of Artist, as much as the movie wants to be. At times, I wanted Sachin Yardi, the director, to keep Nirma in the spotlight rather than make it a tag team effort, where the man becomes the knight in shining armour (or in this case, a crisp white shirt). Artist's poker-faced snaps at Nirma feel annoying at times, though he cools himself to us later on. Chopsticks also hints at romance being developed between the two, which feels unneeded and cliched. Thankfully, the movie does not delve much into this beyond that hint.

Then there is Faiyaz Bhai and his Baahubali. Both are interesting additions in Nirma's pursuit to get her car back. However, one cannot think of the fact that the writers could have added more chutzpah to the villain of the piece. Vijay Raaz is an actor who can do no wrong, but his character relies too much on his histrionic abilities rather than give him scope to work wonders. Which is why Faiyaz's sudden change of stance towards the end is somewhat unbelievable.

Speaking more about the narrative, Sachin Yardi does fine work containing Chopsticks well below the two-hour runtime. Yet, the middle portions drag a bit too much, though the third act redeems itself to some extent.

There are enough humorous moments interspersed in the script, with my favourite being Faiyaz's interactions with a singer who owes him money. Some of the humour relies too much on the literal meaning of words - an idea that comes off as a mixed bag. The reaction to the phrase 'chai bol' raises unexpected laughs but a similar treatment with the word 'manual' passes muster. But then what can we say about a movie that has nearly every character take digs at the lead's name!

The Performances

If I have to recommend Chopsticks to anyone, it would be for the absolutely believable performance of the young Mithila Palkar. The YouTube sensation had made her Bollywood debut in 2017 with the likeable Karwaan, also featuring Dulquer Salmaan and Irrfan Khan. With her second movie, Palkar proves once again her mettle of standing up to her more experienced stars and shine the brightest. She nails the act of the meek Maharashtrian girl with ease, whether it is conversing in fluent Mandarin or expressing herself in a stilted English.

As the secretive Artist, Abhay Deol is charm personified even if his smarminess comes across as annoying at times. He shares an easy camaraderie with Mithila which benefits the film a lot. Vijay Raaz, as the movie's token antagonist, is excellent as always.

Yay!

- Mithil Palkar

- The Refreshing Plot

- Has its Moments

Nay!

- The Middle Portions

- A Couple of Character Transformations are Unbelievable

- The Writing Could Have Been Stronger

Final Thoughts

For an 'Indian Original Film', Netflix's Chopsticks may not be a Bird Box or Okja. Why, it is not even as brilliant as Soni, the streaming service's best Indian offering to date. That said, Chopsticks is a harmless slice-of-comedy that has its moments and benefits from a fine performance by Mithila Palkar.

Rating:3out of 5

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 29, 2019 11:13 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).