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My Birthday Song

19 January 2018Hindi1h 35m

What critics are saying

Critical reception for My Birthday Song is largely mixed-to-negative, with most reviewers finding the film falling short of its potential as a psychological thriller.

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Samir Soni DirectorSamir Soni Story

Not streaming in India

Rajiv Kaul, a successful ad-filmmaker, is celebrating his 40th birthday. Everything is as always: friends, food, wine, music. The only thing different is the absence of his wife and kids and the presence of a beautiful stranger, Sandy. Who is she? Why does she stare at him? Do they know each other from before? A dangerous liaison ensues and throws Rajiv's life upside down. Nothing is what it seems and there is no one who Rajiv can trust. Neither his wife nor his best friend, but most dangerously, not even himself. Can Rajiv undo the past and save himself from the impending doom? A series of twisted events blurs the fine line between past, present and future. Between what's real and what may not be…

Critic Consensus

Critical reception for My Birthday Song is largely mixed-to-negative, with most reviewers finding the film falling short of its potential as a psychological thriller. Production values, music, and the intriguing central premise drew some acknowledgment, and a handful of critics appreciated the suspense sustained through its brief runtime. However, the most common criticism centers on weak execution and a disappointing payoff, with several reviewers noting that the narrative feels dragged, repetitive, or too inept to deliver on its setup. Sanjay Suri's performance received passing mention but was not consistently singled out as a strength.

9 rated reviews · 2 positive · 2 mixed · 5 negative

Praised: production values and musicCriticised: weak execution and unsatisfying ending

AI-generated summary of 10 critic reviews · may contain errors

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Critic Reviews (10)

Updated
Rajeev MasandTop Critic· IBNLive
5.0
Wrapping up its business in a brisk 95 minutes, My Birthday Song kept me guessing until the end. It's not a perfect film, but there's enough to merit a single watch.
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Shubhra GuptaTop Critic· Indian Express
3.0
The plotting and the treatment of My Birthday Song is far too inept to create a solid psychological thriller out of this looping-upon-itself story, whose big reveal is too brief, too late.
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Prasanna Zore· Rediff
7.0
An honest effort and a huge relief for movie enthusiasts...
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IANS· Sify
6.0
My Birthday Song struts its polished demeanour like a badge of honour. It has its slack passages. But most of the time we are absorbed in the goings-on waiting to see how Sanjay Suri gets out of the mess. The narrative gives him elbow room to seek an exit. Then pulls the rug from under his feet, leaving us with a feeling that the scriptwriter wanted us on the edge right till the end.
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Reza Noorani· Times Of India
5.0
The production values are top notch and so is the music. While the narrative may get a bit repetitive, like how birthday songs can get, maybe that's what the director intended. That being said, this is one party you may want to attend if you like your cinema to be dark and mysterious.
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R.M. Vijayakar· IndiaWest
4.0
All we can conclude that the tribe of filmmakers with a complete disconnect with Indian audiences is alarmingly on the increase – and some of them can be really good storytellers if they choose the right subject, not necessarily the mainstream commercial. Soni deserves to exploit his métier and not waste his time in such w fake evolution as a filmmaker.
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Sweta Kaushal· Hindustan Times
4.0
Debutante director Samir Soni starts off with an amazing idea which is failed by its execution.
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Manisha Lakhe· NowRunning
4.0
Is it is guilt for the one sexual encounter that keeps Rajeev Kaul awake or has he really killed the girl? The film is a psychological thriller which is rather interesting, but feels dragged despite its short running time of 95 minutes. Sanjay Suri looks traumatised enough as Rajeev Kaul but is that enough? This film has a decent supporting cast but needed a huge pay-off at the end. So much thrill for so little an end...
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Suparna Sharma· Deccan Chronicle
2.0
Soni, who has written and directed My Birthday Song, is so in love with his own creation that he wanted his presence to be felt throughout.
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Komal Nahta· Komal Nahta's Blog
Not rated
My Birthday Song is a beautifully made thriller with very good performances. It deserves to do well but, unfortunately, lack of promotion and a window of just six days (before Padmaavat floods the cinemas on 25th January) will tell on its box-office performance.
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Cast & Crew

Details

Release Date
19 January 2018
Runtime
1h 35m
Language
Hindi

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