In this heartwarming Netflix slice-of-life film, 69-year-old retired swimming coach Vijay decides to chase his dreams and give life to his ambitions when he starts training for a triathlon. Not paying heed to societal expectations, he moves swiftly towards his goals, but will he be able to fulfil them?
The film has a runtime of 112 minutes.
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Vijay 69 Movie Cast
Anupam Kher, Chunky Panday, Mihir Ahuja, Guddi Maruti, Vrajesh Hirjee, Kunal Vijaykar, Sulagna Panigrahi, Ravish Desai, Dharmendra Gohil, Ketika Sharma, Pawan Chopra, Adrija Sinha
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Vijay 69 2024 Writer & Director
Akshay Roy
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Vijay 69 Netflix Release Date
08 November 2024
Vijay 69 Review
Underneath the potty mouth and the funny quips, Vijay 69 is an emotional and kind-hearted look at the fear and uncertainty that people who are in the twilight years of their lives feel. When all is said and done and when life has almost come to an end, what have we achieved? What will people remember us by? That’s a question that most people ask themselves – searching for a meaning and a need to matter and not be forgotten gets all too real. This Netflix film is an empathetic look at Vijay’s plight to matter and a way to leave a mark before the time comes around for him to leave this earth.
Anupam Kher delivers a memorable performance in this moving drama, leaving us teary-eyed from start to finish. His performance is the best part of this film, and although the movie is a mix of emotions and humour, Kher brings it all together with his emotion-packed, potty-mouthed performance. He is fantastic in every scene. There is not a moment when viewers will not find themselves fiercely rooting for him and even when the narrative gets a bit repetitive and dramatic, it’s the characters that keep it moving.
The story is one that most can get behind – raw and relatable, there’s not a lot that can go wrong with a story like this. Most people can get behind the need to follow their dreams in order to find fulfilment in their lives and, at the age of 69, Vijay’s dreams feel personal. The way this story flows, the connections that Vijay makes, and the lessons that he learns about himself and those around him are thus extremely moving. The film keeps things simple for the most part and although some of the plot points towards the end feel unnecessary and inconvenient, it’s nothing you can’t forgive thanks to what follows.
The film keeps the gruelling triathlon sequences to a minimum thanks to which you can take an active interest in what is about to happen without it weighing heavy on the runtime. However, I must mention that the sequences with Panday can feel a little in-your-face because they overdo his character’s quirks a bit too much. Going overboard and creating a character who feels like a cartoonish comic relief was a thing of the past, in the present it feels a bit tiring and icky.
In the end, thus, Vijay 69 feels like a heartfelt, moving experience. There was not a moment I didn’t have a smile on my face and the film makes sure to never get too serious at any point. Some physical ailments aside, the film focuses on important points but never really overdoes on the drama. Thankfully Vijay didn’t get some debilitating disease and miraculously got better within 2 weeks so that’s always great. The family conflict is relatable and realistic and also added in moderation. Although personally, it’s a predictable film, I think Kher does a fantastic job of making it somewhat memorable.
Final Thoughts
Vijay 69 is emotional and poignant. It reminds us to chase our dreams and that age is just a number. There are a lot of great moments that are both emotional and funny and make for a great time with friends and family. Add to that some great performances, this one’s a hoot.