Prem XL is a romance by Heavy Budget. The same Heavy Budget that gave us some of the most endearing and creatively funny shorts that still make me laugh out loud whenever I rewatch them. These shorts worked so well because the channel and its primary creator, Tony Deori Basumatary, intimately understood how our Axomiya society works, and because of his minute observation of our personal, memorable, and sometimes not-so-memorable experiences, and the comedy underlying them.
These shorts quickly became so anticipated because of how judiciously and effectively they were written, and how fantastically the actors enacting them brought them to life. I remember quoting dialogues from the shorts in places where no one understood Axomiya, to amuse myself. So, the prospect of this same creative collective coming out with its own feature-length film made Prem XL one of my most anticipated movies of the year for me. The question was, would the film carry the same qualities as the shorts?
The Story:
Prem XL is essentially the story of Mihir (Sanjib Kalita) and Diya (Anisha Hazarika), who are as different from each other as they can possibly be. Mihir, after performing fairly well in his board examinations, has wasted two years attending just three days of classes during his graduation and is now under the strictest supervision of his parents, who want him to get admitted to a degree programme and make something of his life. Diya, on the other hand, is pursuing her graduation and is all set to embark on a successful professional journey, the path to which has already been laid by her own hard work and her elder sister’s efforts to aid her career progression. She also has a terrible tragedy to motivate her further and keep her focused on making something of her life.
However, when the two meet at Mihir’s family-owned paying guest accommodation, something magical happens. The trajectory of their story is further influenced not only by the affection and attraction they feel for each other but also by the company that they keep. While Diya has Gauri (Jaanu Baruah) and Dhriti (Nandini Handique) to add to the chaos in her life, Mihir has the worst possible influence in the form of Biki (Mridupawan Parashar), who, despite all his shortcomings, is the kind of friend we all dream of having but who is almost impossible to find in this day and age.
Reimagining Love How It Was Always Meant to Be:
Prem XL is one of the sweetest pieces of slice-of-life cinema (Hitchcock would hate his fan calling a film that) that you can experience in theatres this year. It will probably inspire you to fall in love with simplicity, selflessness, and little things that are as ordinary as they are sweet and, most importantly, pristine and pure. In this day and age, when love is gauged in terms of biology and chemistry, here is a film that believes in and upholds nothing but its magic. I expected nothing less from Heavy Budget, whose creators have always had the ability to see beyond the ordinary and the obvious and come up with something that was always present but had somehow been overlooked.
Following through on that promise, Tony Deori Basumatary gives us a love story that unfolds at a leisurely pace, much like love does in real life, but is never devoid of magical moments. The first half of the film primarily documents the blossoming romance between Mihir and Diya. It justifies the film’s dreamy, romantic nature by imbuing every scene the two share with a magical quality. There is also something lovely about how the pace seems to slow down whenever they are together.
The best example of this comes in a laugh-out-loud scene in which Dhriti, after a late-night rendezvous with a date, attempts to sneak back into the paying guest house but ends up getting stuck while trying to jump over its considerably high entrance. She asks Diya for help, who rushes to her rescue, only to get caught up in what turns into a seemingly mushy conversation with Mihir, who has also come out after hearing a thud at the door.
The two engage in a conversation while Dhriti remains stuck in mid-air. This is the kind of situational comedy I expect from Heavy Budget, and it is precisely what makes the film’s proceedings so enthralling and makes you want to keep following its characters and their stories. The first half is peppered with numerous such endearing moments that will not only make you roll with laughter but also fall in love with these characters instantly.
The Situational Comedy Works Big Time, and So Do the Quieter Moments:
Comedy works best when it is situational, and who knows this better than Heavy Budget? Whatever little melodrama and over-the-top antics are featured in their shorts have been kept completely at bay to create an experience that feels authentic and relatable. Consequently, when the situational comedy arrives, it feels as though it has flown straight off the pages of everyday experience. A lot of this comedy also stems from the subversion of expectations.
One such instance is a dreamy song sequence that ends with Mihir’s reputation being seriously tarnished, or at least that is what he assumes. The scene had the entire theatre I was watching the film in roaring with laughter. The next scene, which serves as an aftermath of what had transpired, is even funnier, as Mridupawan and his over-the-top expressions milk the situation for all it is worth.
The writing of the dialogues, which has always been one of Heavy Budget’s fortes, is on full display here, with the lines alone being enough to make you laugh. Describing them here would be a disservice to the hard work of the men and women involved. This is something you need to experience in a theatre with your friends and family, recalling moments when you said similar things out of love, frustration, camaraderie, anxiety, or simply because you were petrified.
While there are moments when you might feel that a scene has been designed merely to allow the characters to say certain things and develop them in a particular way so that later scenes work as intended, you don’t mind them at all. That is because the situations and conversations feel familiar, either because you have experienced them yourself or because you know someone who has. This makes the audience an active participant in the story, hence enhancing its overall impact.
The Greatest Strength of This Presentation Lies in Its Ensemble Cast:
One may question the writing for some reasons, each with its own merits, but what cannot be faulted in this presentation is the ensemble cast’s ability to make every aspect of their characters, even the more over-the-top ones, completely believable and wildly enjoyable. Their performances are so sweet that they could induce diabetes, yet impactful enough to ensure that these characters are not merely accessories for fun and entertainment. Instead, they make you remember similar things that may have happened to you or, perhaps, sigh with the realisation that your teenage years are long gone and that something this sweet may never happen again, at least not for someone from my generation.
Sanjib Kalita and Anisha Hazarika lead from the front with such effortless portrayals that I was invested in their respective characters from the get-go. There wasn’t a single moment when I thought of them as anyone other than Mihir and Diya. The degree of control and organic realism they bring to their characters is astounding for people so young and fresh to the art. Their ability to shape my experience of the film according to the needs of each scene was truly inspiring.
Be it the delivery of their dialogues, the mannerisms that vary from scene to scene, the subtle expressions of romance that feel more soulful and sweeter than anything else, or, most importantly, the gradual realisation of their emotional and romantic dependence on each other, everything is conveyed with a sense of maturity and honesty that are rare to find in modern Indian cinema.
What we see over the course of the film are episodes from the lives of these characters that eventually culminate in their finding love and romance. However, these individual experiences would not have worked, and the film as a whole would not have been nearly as effective, had we not been invested in each of them.
This notion becomes even more pronounced when a scene involving little more than the friends sitting around and talking about things from their past that are not necessarily dramatic or particularly interesting is given more time than one would expect. It is the actors’ ability to draw us into these moments that makes them work so well and allows the film to envelop its audience with its charm.
That brings me to the contributions of Mridupawan, Nandini, and Jaanu, who are every bit as important and effective as the central pair. There would be neither comedy nor drama had the exchanges between the lead pair and Dhriti, Biki, and Gauri not been rendered as thoughtfully as they are by the three actors. They not only allow Mihir and Diya’s rendition to blossom by providing the perfect foils for the two to play off, but also leave their own indelible marks on the film in the process.
These characters are too sweet to forget and too relatable not to identify with. Through them, we are also reminded of some complex social issues that, had they been merely told rather than shown, could have felt overwhelming. Here, however, they flow seamlessly into the larger narrative. The three young actors deserve credit for making their characters feel so authentic and relatable. Gauri’s frustration, in particular, was a constant source of comedy for me.
Tony Deori Basumatary’s Direction Deserves Special Praise:
A film is often said to belong to its director, and in this case, Tony Deori Basumatary, who is himself graduating to the big league, deserves all the praise for marshalling his forces and extracting the kind of performances he does from his actors. I haven’t been this impressed by the performances in some of the biggest Assamese films starring veterans and established stars this year.
The magic he manages to weave with a simple, heartfelt story is further enhanced by the mature and realistic portrayals he elicits from his ensemble. These two aspects work so well together that they almost make you overlook the film’s other shortcomings. His use of music to amplify the emotional and romantic moments also deserves praise.
My only reservation is that the ending feels a little rushed. The final twist, though lovable and emotional, is perhaps a little too good to be true even in a film that is all about the magic of love. Maybe a few more rewrites and a more thoughtfully developed culmination would have served an already supremely entertaining and heart-warming film much better.
Final Words:
Every song in Prem XL was music to my ears, and I have a feeling I will be listening to these tracks on a loop for a while. Their placement and the events unfolding on screen during these sequences make them all the more impactful, and that is without taking anything away from the quality of the music itself.
Tony Deori Basumatary also deserves credit for ensuring that his characters are not irresponsible in the name of love. They fall in love, but they do not lose sight of their individual responsibilities or the need to make something of their lives. Unlike the romantic fantasies that are often peddled in the name of love and courtship, Prem XL reminds us that love and personal growth need not be mutually exclusive.
By the end of the film, Mihir, Diya, Biki, Dhriti, and Gauri have all found their footing in their respective lives, and therein lies the most important lesson of this wonderfully sweet and heart-warming film. Be in love, cherish the people who make your life beautiful, but never forget to be useful, take responsibility for your own life, and do your bit to make the world a better place. Prem XL is a reminder that love need not be grandiose to be magical, and that sometimes, the simplest stories leave behind the warmest memories.