ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

NETFLIX’S LATEST OFFERING, HOUSE ARREST, IS NOTHING MORE THAN A HOT MESS

At the outset, House Arrest (directed by Samit Basu and Shashanka Ghosh) seems to have an intriguing premise: Karan (Ali Fazal), a young stock trader, withdraws from society and has managed to stay home for 279 days. He appears to be content, but in order to interrupt his hibernation, the plot introduces a meddlesome friend JD (Jim Sarbh), an intrusive journalist called

Saira (Shriya Pilgaonkar), supposedly fascinated by Karan’s reclusive lifestyle, and a gangster’s daughter Pinky (Barkha Singh) who leaves a suitcase containing a hostage at his flat.

Most viewers will find themselves feeling claustrophobic as they watch this interminable farce unfold. The characters are wooden, the setting hammy and the dialogue insipid. Considering this is a Netflix offering, there’s the option for most people to simply end such torment by pressing a button. I, unfortunately, for the purpose of this review, had to watch

the whole thing. The film is a far cry from Mirzapur where Fazal and Pilgaonkar had given commendable performances—poles apart from this hot mess.

The movie makes repeated references to the Japanese concept of ‘Hikikomori’ and how the country’s youth are increasingly choosing to shun physical society in exchange for the virtual terrain of video games and social media. Perhaps this concept was the raison d’être for this endeavour. One only wishes the creators had researched another Japanese concept called ‘Shibui’, which is used to describe objects that are attractive in their austerity and restraint. Among the seven elements of Shibui are simplicity, naturalness and everydayness. In its bid to wear multiple hats, House Arrest ends up being a hodgepodge that doesn’t exhibit any of these qualities. ■