Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous Review: Brave, vulnerable, busy, but also too short
Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous delves into that dark part of its subject's life that many documentaries don't dare to touch; it's how documentaries are supposed to be but still feels novel.
3.5/5
Dec 20, 2024
Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous Review
Yo Yo Honey Singh
Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous Review: Plot - Who in this country doesn't know Yo Yo Honey Singh? The man who started out from a small room with no windows and flew to never-seen-before heights only to be shot down by bipolar syndrome that crashed him to the ground, taking years to bounce back. This is the story of his comeback and his vulnerability, capturing the essence of the man this rapper is and the side of him we do not know about.
Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous Review: Analysis
Documentaries are the documents of our times. Whether it is reality or someone's reality that could be fiction for the rest, is a debatable topic, and we will never reach an outcome. So when the world watches them, there is always an intrigue that it sits with. These are technically gateways into someone’s life and someone big because how else is there a documentary in their name? The core purpose of this format of filmmaking is to explore life or maybe lives in a way that they haven't been. Whitewashing is never the purpose, but to show the most vulnerable part is. This is where Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous stands because it doesn't shy away from getting into the darkest of questions without sugarcoating them. That is how documentaries should be, but this still feels novel, and that tells a lot about the condition this genre of filmmaking is in right now in India.
In a fleeting moment where Honey Singh is asked about the most vulgar infamous song Ch**t Vol 1 that he allegedly sang with Badshah, director Mozez Singh does the most accurate thing many documentaries these days forget to: he cross-questions. When asked about the infamous song (which, by the way, is said to be Honey Singh’s first song), the rapper denies ever singing it. Mozez in the next moment confronts him, saying he must now take credit for it because the world knows he made it with Badshah. Honey still denies it. But that one moment is enough to tell you the intent of this 80-minute documentary. It doesn't want you to fall in love with its subject or sympathize with him but only know what he has gone through in the times he was away.
Backed by producer Guneet Monga, Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous introduces us to a young Honey, a boy untouched by fame but still harboring disruptive thoughts. He is not ordinary because there is something that always makes him stand out. But, of course, that is never something this documentary wants to focus on. We immediately shift to a house without windows where we meet Honey Singh, who tells us this is the same place where he composed Khadke Khalasi and won awards for it. But behind all the rap, hip-hop, and said-to-be "obscene" lyrics, there is a boy who once jammed to Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar songs with his father.
Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous delves into the side of the rapper we haven't really seen and not much is known about. The constant reminders that you are not supposed to fall in love with him are what make this documentary complete. As he defends his lyrics that are questionable, saying that is what the audience wants, his views are crossed by activists who call him out for being insensitive toward women. This creates the correct debate and doesn't rely heavily on one side.
But Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous becomes the bravest when it delves into the darkest corner of his life. He dares to recall the tragic mental illness and everything that followed on the camera, and that needs to be appreciated. He accepts suffering from bipolar disorder with psychotic symptoms. We see him cry thinking of the time and talk about what brought him back. This is the most heartfelt moment in the entire documentary and also a very brave one. One must observe the camera work while he explains, as he recalls the symptoms of his illness. The handling is so haphazard that for a moment it makes you feel the restlessness that Honey must have gone through, and that adds a good layer.
However, the documentary feels too short if you look at the subject and the 80-minute runtime. Maybe a bit more lengthier indulgence would have made this a more complete affair.
Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous Review: Final Verdict
Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous does what documentaries are supposed to and should be an example of how the genre needs to be looked at and approached.
Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous releases on Netflix on December 20, 2024. Stay tuned to OTTplay for more information on this and everything else from the world of streaming and films.
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