After starting late from home, It was a tough task to reach INOX on time. Queue at the ATM, queue for a train ticket, travel to Nariman Point, wait for the taxi, drive to the theater... Despite best efforts, I made it to the theatre five minutes late. Such is the traffic in Bombay. After the movie, I wished I had been an hour and half late.

Saif Ali Khan in Being Cyrus movie

Being Cyrus was produced under the banner of Times Infotainment Media. Cyrus Mistry, a handsome stranger (Saif Ali Khan, who else) walks into the life of Dinshaw (Naseeruddin Shah) the ageing Panchgani potter and his pretty yet unhappy wife Katy (Dimple). He becomes the potter's assistant. He secures Katy's confidence who befriends him and persuades him to kill her rich in-laws (Honey Chhaya and Boman Irani) and grab property for the two of them. Cyrus bumps off the in-laws, and in a double-crossing, twists evidence to implicate Katy...

Being Cyrus has few actors, and Saif Ali Khan is definitely not one of them. I think it was a conscious decision to keep the camera focussed on Saif's stubble most of the time since otherwise the bland face would have to be shown. Saif's face cannot display emotions. It is not a fault. Not everyone can act. But I suggest those who can't do so stay out of acting.

Most of the movie is a voice-over. Instead of Saif acting on screen, Saif's voice 'talks' the movie from the dubbing studio throughout. Why? Did Cyrus take a vow of silence when he decided to go on a killing spree?

Coming to think of emoting, the whole talent of Naseeruddin Shah is wasted. He has a nondescript role. Yet, his acting is much more convincing than that of Cyrus or Katy. Boman Irani, as the irritable promiscuous evil son has done full justice of his Being Cyrus role. I suggest Saif take acting lessons from Irani and Shah every day.

Homi Adajania's debut film Being Cyrus has little to write home about. The only redeeming factor in the whole film is performance by Chhaya, Irani and Pahwa. The scheming daughter-in-law, who could have been developed as a powerful character, is almost invisible.

Being Cyrus is supposed to be an English film, with most of the abuses in Hindi. However, a lot of the English in the movie is spoken in an accent which the ordinary Englishman won’t understand. But since we are like this only, we forgive.

It is not that the movie is not without any interesting scenes. In one of them, Boman Irani is involved in an altercation following a dog peeing on his car. In another, the corrupt cop tries to impress the pretty daughter-in-law with condescending smiles and yells at the subordinate. Some of Honey Chhaya's acting is riveting. But none of them can collectively lift Being Cyrus, which is heavily weighed down by the millstone called Saif Ali Khan.