Bisi-Bisi Ice-Cream movie review: A trio of good actors in an underwhelming story

2.5/5

Bisi-Bisi Ice Cream movie story: If being heart-broken by an adulterous wife was not bad enough, Raghav (Aravinnd Iyer), a cab driver in namma Bengaluru, finds that his now unhealthy lifestyle of not eating well and on time and lack of adequate rest has him battling a strain of TB. Amid his personal battles, he comes across two very interesting people – Mahantesh aka Manto (Gopalkrishna Deshpande), a pimp, and his new neighbour, a mysterious, albeit nameless, girl (Siri Ravikumar. These two have a profound impact on Raghav’s life in their own way.

Bisi-Bisi Ice-Cream movie review: Aravinnd Iyer, who’s best known for his roles in Kahi and Kirik Party, says that Bisi-Bisi Ice-Cream, which opens in theatres today, is his debut as a leading man. Well, technically, that happened with Bheemasena Nalamaharaja, but that film was a direct-to-OTT release, while Bisi-Bisi Ice-Cream fulfils his long-time dream of a big-screen outing as protagonist.

Arvind Sastry’s Bisi Bisi Ice Cream brings together a cab driver, an escort and a pimp 

Aravinnd, though, is not the ‘traditional’ hero in the film, which reunites him with Kahi maker Arvind Sastry. Here he is playing a common man – a man struggling to make ends meet, while battling other personal demons. He is weary, both physically and mentally, yet somehow soldiers on. It’s a role that Aravinnd has taken on and delivered with great conviction.

If you’ve followed the actor’s social media feed, you’d know that he cleans up well and yet, he manages to be utterly convincing as Raghav, whether it is the messy hair, sunken eyes and the dark circles under them, the body language and gait, the dialogue delivery, etc. He’s well and truly in the skin of the character, so much so that even with a few flashing images of the actor as his normal, more glam self, you only see Raghav onscreen.

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He's joined by Gopalkrishna Deshpande and Siri Ravikumar as the two other prominent characters in the tale. Gopal’s brief for the role as the pimp Manto was, “go forth and make merry”, one thinks. The actor’s had fun, without ever going overboard. Siri, on the other hand, does a great job at looking the part as a high-end escort, while also making the most with her eyes when she has to convey unhappiness and anguish.

Now, if you have three fine actors turning in great performances, what could possibly be wrong with the film? Well, as much as Bisi-Bisi Ice-Cream is about Raghav’s journey, which is all fine, it’s the final pay-off that is the real make-or-break moment and here, honestly, it is a tad underwhelming. Add to that, the fact that you just don’t feel invested in the threesome. Raghav, at least, gets some semblance of a backstory – you get why he’s leading such a sad existence. But there’s no explanation offered for Siri’s character’s desperation to make a quick buck, which has led her down this path, or why Manto does what he does to keep his girls in line.

Bisi-Bisi Ice-Cream movie verdict: When the trailer of Bisi-Bisi Ice-Cream came out, the first thought was that it looked interesting, although the title seemed strange. The film, undoubtedly, has its moments, but would have benefitted from a better outcome.