102 Not Out is a 2018 Indian comedy-drama, directed by Umesh Shukla. The movie is based on a play written by Sauma Joshi.

After watching many gerontological movies, while there are some excellent ones, most of them rarely “surprise” you: they deal with important gerontological issues (dementia; care; love and more), with creativity and thought – but in a way that is usual with in our conventional “box” of thought. However, once every while there is a gerontological movie which goes “outside” the box.

This movie is certainly a good example of breaking existing “norms” in the field: it “flips’ our whole perspective on “aging” and on “old age” – upside down. The presumable hero is a 76 years old ; but the real hero is actually his father - Dattatraya (played by Amitabn Bachchan) 102 years old (hence the name of the movie). These two “elder” heroes are accompanied young lad who works in the local medical store – who plays only as a “support” character to the two true heroes – the father and son.

The whole “construction” of “aging” goes in this movie against our “conventional” thought: the 102 “father” – is the ‘young” in mind, behavior, and thought; His son, who is chronologically much younger (but is still "old") – is the one who is really “old”; and the only chronologically “young” character – is “ageless” in his behavior or mentality.

In the "typical" social and filmatic depictions, usually the “younger son” takes care for his “older aging father” – however, in this movie, the situation is reversed. This “twist” in “roles” – challenges our whole understanding of “who is old?” “and is there any “connection” between “being old” – and chronological age. The movie goes even more, to break down another “stereotype” regarding the role of grandparents, and their relationships with their adult children viz-a-viz their relationships with their grandchildren.

The movie has its “dark” side: it could be argued that the movie can be seen as apart of a “new ageism” trend, which tries to “eliminate” older people, or making aging “disappear” if only older people continue to maintain a “young” age life style….This is especially true in the way the 102 father is displayed: like a typical 20 year-old person…Is this really how we would like to “idealize” older people?

In any case - and beyond these philosophical questions – the movie is simply joyful to watch, funny, and is real refresher to the existing Hollywood movies on aging.

If you are a gerontologist – go and see it; and then show it to your students and hold a discussion on what they make of it.

Enjoy.

2018

India

Director: Umesh Shukla

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrks9Zu0f1w