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.

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.

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…

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.

An honest effort and a huge relief for movie enthusiasts…

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.

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.

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.

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.

Debutante director Samir Soni starts off with an amazing idea which is failed by its execution.