What the Fish (2013) User Reviews

Trys To Be Different, Ends Up Displeasing. ♦ 36%

[nairtejas · 4/10 · 22 February 2014]

So, Dimple Kapadia jumps into the latest fad of new wave cinemas and tries to earn few bucks. While her performance & character is over the top, the film per se doesn't work enough to please its audience.

With a purely non-fictitious Delhi as a backdrop, it tells the story of a Mausi who assigns the tasks of feeding her child-like fish, watering her plant and looking after her house to her niece. The plot follows how different people end up in the house wrecking havoc. What was being an inquisitive watch with good humor as a support goes haywire as characters come and go without much explanation. And if there is explanation, they are superficial.

The writers probably had a base idea which they mount with everything they can ever think of as scriptwriters. The filmmaking parameters are nothing worth writing about. Actors do their part well, but nothing groundbreaking.

With a fast-paced plot at hand, What The Fish diminishes to being a mindless entertainer which only has parts to be proud of viz. the setup, the light humor and the Delhi lifestyle.

BOTTOM LINE: Not worth your precious time but if it is experimental movies that you are fond of, this is a sure bet. 3.6/10.

Another feeble attempt made in the name of new age comedy.

[bobbysing · 3/10 · 19 December 2013]

Hindi Cinema is passing through an important as well as interesting phase wherein fresh ideas, concepts and innovations are being regularly tried representing the new age thought process of the makers. But most of the times, projects like these fail to make an impact due to three major factors which many would readily agree to, as per their own personal experience.

The first being the too-short duration of these films, which is just about 90-100 minutes and second, the costly ticket price charged by the multiplexes exclusively showing these comparatively small films in few selected shows. So even if interested, a large number of viewers avoid such movies due to these two major factors and further the scenario reaches a worst stage when 7 out of 10 such new age ventures turn out to be simply immature, baseless and damaging to their own reputation.

However this week's WHAT THE FISH has a reputed name to its credits along with some fine comic actors in the cast too. Yet it cannot be recommended for your weekend plans at all, since it utterly remains a below average attempt made on an interesting subject which could have been something else with a better execution and focus.

The film begins on an impressive note reminding you of some recent similar films based in Delhi like FUKREY. But as it progresses it fails to follow any particular comic track and has very few entertaining moments to offer through its all forced comedy till the finale. For instance where in the first half it tries to be an erotic comedy, there in the second it plays some pathetic spoofs on National Boxing Champions namely Vijender and Mary Kom. The characters keep vanishing in between without caring about the continuity factor and director uses two extremely talented actors Manu Rishi and Manjot Singh very carelessly. Moreover, an interval just after 40 minutes puts you off completely and then the lazy screenplay continues post interval too without any focused vision.

Actually it doesn't hurt that bad to watch this kind of film if it has all new or some present generation actors trying it too hard. But when a pretty mediocre project like WHAT THE FISH features a veteran actress Dimple Kapadia, screaming like a mad woman on the screen quite forcefully, then it really hurts and makes you forget any of its good points too in totality. Hence though it has a few average performances by Manu Rishi, the girl playing the Saharanpur resident and Manjot Singh (in a cameo), but then their short and undefined roles spoil the overall spirit of the movie based on a thin plot and one doesn't feel like getting the worth of his money and time back walking out of the theater.

In short WHAT THE FISH is strictly one of those desperate kind of movies, which you may not mind seeing on the cable channels or on home video in your spare time. But watching it in the theaters spending a lot more on the travel & snacks other than the high priced tickets of the multiplex is certainly not recommended.

Further to end it on a progressive note, such small projects are going to survive or find more viewers in the theater in the near future only if they are shown at a special reduced price decided by the exhibitors collectively. So the industry needs to look upon this major factor urgently to keep it going.

Nice off beat comedy

[nihal_agha · 8/10 · 1 May 2020]

Very funny movie. Don't be fooled by the low ratings. Situational comedy, weird characters and interludes at this house when being house-sit by a greedy teenager.