Review: 'One By Two'

The dysfunctional girl Samara (effectively played by Preeti Desai) has serious dreams that seem driven more by her alcoholic mother's frustrations. Indeed some of the film's most effective dialogues and drama emerges in the mother and daughter scenes....Quite understandable when the mother is played by the ever-dependable Lilette Dubey.

There are some very interesting incidental characters lining up to lend a sense of optimism to the central dilemma of two characters who never seem to get their fundas right. Among the peripheral characters Abhay's two clingy office colleagues make an interesting study in work-place behaviour. Just why these two back-benchers end up necking in Abhay's bedroom is a mystery no one , not even the film's writer, can unravel.

I specially liked the spirited sassy girl (played by Yashika Dhillon) who plays the brassy bahenji chosen as a Bahu by Abhay's over-zealous parents (Rati Agnihotri and Jayant Kripalani, making a cute if clichéd 'careless' couple).

Besides the fact that the real-life Abhay-Preeti pair never meet till the end, the remarkable thing about 'One By Two' is that it weaves interesting episodes into inherently routine lives making their anonymous existence seem far more special than it actually is. That's the magic created by the skilled writing, convincing characterization and of course credible performances.
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