102 Not Out is, as I said, a sweet film. It’s nice to see an old Bachchan picture on the wall, circa Abhimaan, just as it is fine to see a photograph of a Khel Khel Mein Kapoor teaching his son math. Yet despite Bachchan and Kapoor – and young Jimit Trivedi, who plays the enthusiastic domestic help with infectious enthusiasm – the film relies too heavily on prosthetics, with liver spots being used either for laughs, or instead of character details. All we ever know about Dattatraya is his decrepitude. For a film about living a full life, that feels rather toothless.

I suspect that this is the kind of average fare that relies on who its viewers are. Many parents might choose to overlook the flimsiness and view this as a winning unbeaten century in a chase. I’m not so sure others may look at it the same way. After all, if an opening batsman scores 102 Not Out in the first innings of an ODI match, it’s more likely that the knock is slow, selfish, self-defeating and bereft of awareness.

102 Not Out is a simple sweet watch and offers many little moments. And it is moments like these that warm your heart. It’s the kind of film your parents and grandparents would relish on a Sunday afternoon with each thing simplified at its best. The simplification, however, is subject to personal beliefs and experiences.

No doubt it’s great to see a film about two old people. But we have seen both Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor in that avatar in better films (Piku especially, and in Kapoor & Sons) before this.

The film’s 101-minute duration is enough to convey its high spirits and liveliness. Its message is loud and clear though it comes at the cost of some unnecessary villainy.

What a joy to watch two fantastic actors working in tandem in a performance-oriented film!

102 Not Out is a light hearted family drama for a perfect weekend. Go, spot this one and celebrate life!

Every single gesture is overdone and extra boisterous like Bachchan’s inflated exuberance and screaming prosthetics, reminiscent of the 1970s when he’d masquerade as a grey-haired old man playing to the gallery. It was phony, but so much fun.

This one’s more 102 and not quite.

Films like ‘102 Not Out’ are best enjoyed with the family. The ease with which the film portrays the bittersweet relationship between its characters is fantastic. Such films are like soft serve ice cream on a sparkly Sunday afternoon. They make you happy. There are parts in the film where emotions run high, but it’s never too overbearing. It’s just a happy and healthy entertainer that tells you that living in the moment and making the most of everyday of your life is all that matters. And age of course, as they say, is just a number.

If you love your elders, take them to watch this film. The tears of their appreciation will warm your heart. 

All said and done, once in a blue moon we get to see such films- a pure family entertainer from the word go. The makers explore the concept of ‘Don’t die till you’re alive’ without being preachy. You’ll come out of the theater loving Amitabh Bachchan & Rishi Kapoor a bit more.

A man who is 102 years old and full of life teaches a lesson or two or three for his grouchy 75 year old son. Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor make this father and son melodrama a good watch simply because they deliver. But if you step away from the casting coup, the loud violins that accompany the moralising and the mawkish sentimentality could put you off. Should have been a Sunday afternoon theatrical production, with a family hug afterwards…

Even if your folks care about superheroes saving the galaxy from a power-hungry, mass-culling enthusiast, drag them to watch this delightful film over the weekend. Make a family outing out of it, we say!

Don’t grovel before your child for that one tri-monthly phonecall. It is meaningless. 102 Not Out teaches us to find that one rare moment of truth that binds two people together even if they are not meant to be together for keeps.

Based on a Gujarati play of the same name, Umesh Shukla’s film is unable to leave its inherent theatricality behind. It gets unchanging in terms of the give and take between the duo and leaves the viewers static too. It stirs nothing within, leaving you unmoved. All the whimsy you would have hoped for remains confined to the tagline of the film — Baap Cool, Beta Old School.

102 Not Out teaches us to find that one rare moment of truth that binds two people  together even if they are not meant to be together  for keeps. It’s another matter that this father-son pair is for keeps. You will take them home with you. Full guarantee!

We personally feel that the dialogues are the soul of this film. We hope you understand and the dialogues in the climax just win our heart and every single critic around us couldn’t just stop clapping. Cinematography by Laxman Utekar is beguiling capturing breathtaking sequences from the city of dreams. Film editing by Bodhaditya Banerjee is spot on and you see bang on continuity in the film’s narrative. Overall, 102 Not is a not to be missed film with a heavy dose of mixed emotions that are just going to stay in your heart forever. 

This is an endearing film despite its flaws. Go watch it and, as Wodehouse would often say, “warm the cockles of your heart.”