In the upcoming Bhool Chuk Maaf, Rajkummar Rao’s hero relives his the day before his wedding over and over again. The Hindi-language time loop comedy, which will be out on May 7, has been described as an Indian Groundhog Day.
Harold Ramis’s 1993 film inventively adapts the Myth of Sisyphus to contemporary times. Co-written by Ramis and Danny Rubin, Groundhog Day is set against the backdrop of an actual event.
Every year in Punxsutawney in the American state of Pennsylvania, a squirrel-like creature known as a groundhog predicts the end of winter and the arrival of spring. If the groundhog sees its shadow, spring will arrive early, according to local lore.
This quaint tradition doesn’t impress television weatherman Phil (Bill Murray). Phil is bored of his job and covering the event – it’s his fourth visit. Phil’s colleagues Rita (Andie MacDowell) and Larry (Chris Elliot) have to endure his sarcasm. Phil himself is up for a cosmic joke of epic proportions.
Time has miraculously stopped in Punxsutawney. The day after the weather prediction is the same as the previous day. Phil runs into the same set of people, including an annoying friend from school (Stephen Tobolowsky). And Phil has to relive his Groundhog Day coverage every day.
Groundhog Day can be rented from Prime Video and Apple TV+. The movie guards itself from repetition by making Phil the sole target of the suspension of time. The fun starts as soon as Phil realises this too, and starts tweaking his seemingly eternal routine in small and spectacular ways.
The inventive film can be interpreted in several ways: a comedy-laced philosophical treatise on destiny and individual will, a satire about the monotonous nature of work, an examination of the scope of rebellion in a stubbornly fixed environment, a morality tale about the importance of good values. There’s a touch of Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life to Groundhog Day’s treatment of Phil’s adventures.
Bill Murray’s brilliant portrayal ensures an edginess to even sentimental scenes. Murray smoothly reveals the absurdity of Phil’s situation as well as makes his character’s snarkiness appear charming.
Andie MacDowell ably plays the target of Phil’s barbs. Michael Shannon made his debut in Groundhog Day, as one of the many Punxsutawney natives who keep running into Phil.
While Groundhog Day isn’t the first time-loop film, it is so iconic that its title has become synonymous with the state of being trapped in a cycle of repetition. There have been several other such films, including the outre American comedy Palm Springs (on Prime Video) and the Tamil-language Maanaadu (on Sony LIV). Like Phil is condemned to relive his days, these movies too are destined to be caught in the loop that Groundhog Day didn’t invent but certainly owns.
