Logout movie review
Cast: Babil Khan
Director: Amit Golani
Rating: ★★★
I remembered this line I had read somewhere as I watched Logout: phones are getting smarter, while the people are getting dumber. The hotwords today are ‘social media’ ‘influencer’- but as Babil’s character says at one point ‘content banate banate main khud content ban gaya (While creating content, I became content myself)’- and there couldn’t be a better way to sum up the medium. (Also read: Makers of Logout reveal how they got ‘mild-mannered’ Babil Khan to rage, scream on camera: ‘Lage thode se takes isme’)
Logout, directed by Aamir Golani, revolves around Pratyush Dua (Babil), who is waiting for his follower count to hit 10 million so that he bags a lucrative brand deal. One night, as he is out partying, his phone gets stolen. He receives a call from a fan who initially seems helpful. But as the story progresses, it becomes darker, intense- and you have to watch the film for the rest.
Clocking in a runtime of less than two hours, Logout had the potential to be even crisper. The inclusion of an internet meme as Pratyush’s ringtone feels jarring and unnecessary, as the film’s point is already clear without the forced humor of the ‘Paani pila dijiye’ viral meme. However, the film quickly finds its footing, and the filmmakers’ intentions become evident.
Babil, meanwhile, understands his role as a social media influencer pretty well and is able to emote the frustrations at the smallest of things: the urge to stay away from dance trends, unlike his competitors, even as his team lures him via the ‘10 million followers’ dream. Individuality is hard to maintain in a world where people want to emulate what worked for others. Logout is even a commentary on the lengths people go for social media clout and likes- from adopting a pet, to endorsing what they otherwise hate in real life. (But then, the latter’s been the case with movie stars, too)
Logout, written by Biswapati Sarkar, works as a suspense drama, but loses itself as it starts running around in circles. You cannot stretch a rubber band beyond a point, or it snaps. Pratyush being held hostage just because someone gets access to his phone- damn interesting for the first hour. But the rest of it seems repetitive.
Logout isn’t a film from which one expects top-notch VFX, but when it isn’t good, it is glaring. The VFX mouse resembles little more than a remote-controlled toy mouse.
What Logout gets on point is the sheer helplessness we feel when something happens to our smartphones- that mini heart attack we all get when we can’t feel our smartphones in our pockets is too relatable a feeling. The film’s finale is bound to strike a chord with most people. Overall, Logout is a good weekend watch, with a relatable story and protagonist.
