A man and a woman meet on a train in Europe. Losing themselves in conversation as they walk through picturesque, dreamy sites in Vienna, the two discover the delight of love. I was reminded of Richard Linklater’s wholesome talky romance Before Sunrise (1995) while watching Aditya Kripalani’sMain Actor Nahin Hoon, which largely follows two people walking in their respective cities as they connect over multiple video calls. The similarities and charms end there. Main Actor Nahin Hoon wants to be more than looking at its characters as objects of love. They drive with a purpose, leading to some heavy-handed conversations that break the rhythm of the film’s minimalistic design, with the director’s voice often getting in the way of letting them stay human.

The disjoint is felt mildly in the opening portions, where the screenplay begins to detach from the characters. Adnan (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), a retired banker, is introduced as he walks along with his daughter in Frankfurt. Their conversation gives a glimpse into his background as an overachiever who has been living in melancholy of late. She asks him about hobbies, and he tells her he played smaller roles in his college plays. That’s when she suggests him to go to an audition for an international production. The details are a bit too convenient, and so is Adnan’s quick decision to go for the audition. He is distant from the get-go.

In comparison, Kripalani introduces Mouni (Chitrangada Satarupa), a frustrated, struggling actor in Mumbai, with an extended sequence. She is bitterly complaining about her life to her actor friends. Mouni is a trained actor who takes pride in quality work that satisfies her soul while balancing it with her saleswoman job.

There is little to like about Mouni and Kripalani caricatures her concerns. The one-dimensionality is apparent in how he imagines her living space, filled with film posters and a photo of the Globe Theatre in London, a dream place to perform for Mouni. Even the T-shirt Mouni wears carries a still of Madhabi Mukherjee from Satyajit Ray’s Mahanagar, where the lead character was a saleswoman too.

The references don’t really mean much apart from telling us about the filmmaker’s love for cinema and art, often coming across as a pretentious exercise. Like how Mouni suddenly goes on explaining her love for Tabu’s eyes in Chandi Bar (2001) or her admiration for Jeanne Moreau in Jim and Jules (1962). There is little authenticity in these moments, and even the camaraderie between Mouni and Adnan feels more constructed than lived-in. Kripalani doesn’t let the characters breathe their own air.

Even the performances are incoherent as Chitrangada fuels the character with dramatic excess. There are multiple layers to the role that don’t quite come together to create an emotional backing. Even Siddiqui appears confused as he tries to figure out his acting chops as Adnan, often struggling to get the rhythm right in his delivery. He still manages to keep the film afloat with his reactions, especially in some emotionally charged scenes in the final act. Even here, Kripalani adds a reference to Van Gogh’s 1890 painting ‘At Eternity’s Gate’ as Adnan sits with his hands covering his face, with the painter’s small portrait seen in the background. It is an exhausting scene that overcomplicates the moment, making it seem more than what it actually is. The film, which began with a promise of simplicity, quickly turns into such moments of insipid emptiness. It says a lot, shows little, and means even less.

Main Actor Nahin Hoon is currently running in theatres