Grief lies heavy on one’s soul and for this reason it’s a favourite theme among filmmakers. Like a large, cavernous underground cave, grief sprawls across minds and hearts offering multiple facets to explore.

In “The Mehta Boys”, director Boman Irani, in his debut feature, chooses to take a good look at grief through the complex relationship between a father and his son. Shiv Mehta (played by Irani himself), lives in Navsari, Gujarat, and has just lost his wife. His daughter Anu (Puja Sarup) plants to take her father back with her to the US where she lives. His son, Amay (Avinash Tiwary) lives in Mumbai and is all set to go back after the funeral and ensuing rituals. Their well-laid plans go awry when they reach the airport to find that Shiv has to wait until Monday to travel due to a decision by the airline. Anu goes ahead leaving the Mehta Boys to spend 2 days with each other until Shiv’s flight.

“Will you eat Maggi?” Shiv asks Amay while the latter is focused on his work. Amay mumbles “No” but Shiv anyway goes ahead and makes it. And while Amay rolls his eyes, he is soon ensconced on the sofa with his father eating Maggi and watching Laurel and Hardy. In another scene, the two are having a relatively peaceful evening considering their stormy relationship. Shiv prepares some snacks, and they take out the whiskey. It starts off very well, they even share a smile or two. But within seconds, the moment vanishes devolving into voices raised in anger and hurt as each one thinks the other thinks less of him.

There are so many moments like this in this film that made me pause and think of my own parents. Moments that are so relatable, so honest that you’ll be hard-pressed to think of a family who cannot identify with the characters in some way or another.

And then there’s the grief. Shiv is clearly processing it, not having come to terms with his beloved wife’s death. It comes out in his anger, the way he reminisces about her, blushing when he tells the story of how they met to Amay’s girlfriend. Amay has seemingly accepted it; we never truly know with him. His emotions are never shown in their entirety because he is overwhelmed by his father’s presence and, what he thinks is, the constant criticism of his life, job, etc.

Boman Irani has always been a fine actor but he has outdone himself here as the gruff, moody old man who “prizes old-fashioned ways”, as Amay describes him. His ability to switch from playful to annoyed to sad within minutes is simply brilliant. Abhishek Tiwary, as the disgruntled son who has to cope with his father’s overbearing presence and grief, is superb. He is angry, a lot. But he has a soft corner for his sister and mother. He can be caring and apathetic at the same time. Tiwary shows all this complexity with such aplomb.

“The Mehta Boys” reminds me of films like Masaan, Love Per Square Foot, Sir (2018) and Mukti Bhawan. Quiet, a slice-of-urban-life, touching, and so, so real. These are truly fine dramas without the drama.