In one of the more poignant moments of “Logout,” Zee5’s latest original starring Babil Khan, the protagonist earnestly proclaims that social media is not a mere distraction for many. It is a world in itself. What “Logout” proceeds to tacitly depict under the garb of a genre film is that the same world is not all sunshine and rainbows, so to speak. It has pitfalls and fate’s cruel hands that act as a twisted leveler, just like the real, physical world. Directed by Amit Golani and written by Biswapati Sarkar, “Logout” attempts to cram most of the perils of the modern online world. A little too much perhaps; yet it remains an engrossing watch with a commendable leading performance.
Babil Khan plays Pratyush Dua, known as ‘Pratman’ online, a social media influencer who rose to popularity via his “Laila-Majnu” skits, where he plays both characters. With a house full of all the latest gadgets, Pratyush seems to have it made. The only headache for him, as his manager constantly reminds him over the phone, is to achieve the coveted 10 million followers count. ‘Pratman’ boasts 9.9 million plus followers. A few more are necessary. While Pratyush, with his manager, tries to achieve that milestone with relevant ‘content’ and ‘collabs,’ he loses his smartphone during a drunken night out. The next morning, he is reached out to by a female fan (going by the name ‘Pratmaniac1) online, who claims to have the phone.
Right from their early TVF (The Viral Fever) days, Biswapati Sarkar and Amit Golani have shown a keenness for digital observations. From parodying “Game of Thrones” to fit IIT fests to venturing into web series (For those who are not aware, TVF was one of the earliest Indian media services to produce web series), Sarkar and Golani are quite savvy in navigating the modern online ecosystem, especially in the Indian context. So, it is not entirely surprising to see ‘Logout’ peppered with relevant hints of social (media) commentary. The influencer war and the constant drive to stay relevant, or better, read ‘viral,’ is deftly depicted in the initial fifteen to twenty minutes.
Having said that, “Logout” is a genre film. The good thing about Golani and Sarkar is that they do not forget that. So, when the female fan starts to control Pratyush’s entire social presence through the phone, it becomes a hijacking thriller. The best part of the story is that the fear of losing your virtual self is quite real. We all have some, cringeworthy to downright dark, secrets in the online world. We all go to lengths to hide that. One does not have to be a successful online persona to feel the fear of exposure of all of your photos, videos, and chats. When Pratyush’s online privacy is intruded, his persona is hijacked and his reputation is demolished, the fear and tension are palpable.
As Pratyush tries to catch his tormentor and tries to get his life back on track, “Logout” becomes a blend of “Misery” (1990) and “Black Mirror,” with the thrilling dynamic of the former and the digital cautionary dark fable nature of the latter. Sure, themes focusing on the ills of modern technological advancements are done, but not entirely dusted. Casting Babil Khan as the leading man is a cheeky example of self-awareness that the film is going for. Babil is the son of the late Irrfan Khan; he also rose to fame for being ‘memefied’ as the ‘green flag’ guy, with his generally polite behaviour and interviews championing the right causes. So, it is quite sporting of him to portray an influencer who only pretends to be an ally of feminism. Something the Alpha Males and Sigma Chads accused him of being.
As Pratyush breaks down in front of his virtual audience, a troll account commented ‘Better acting than the Nepo Kids.’ Now, one has to agree with that sentiment while praising Babil’s performance, knowing fully well that he is a ‘nepo kid’ himself. Babil’s performance is at the core of this thriller. He successfully brings the arrogance, the greed, the fear, the regrets, and the helplessness to the table. Special mention should be there for Nimisha Nair, who nails the transformation of the female fan’s seemingly innocent benevolence to outright vengeful malevolence through her voice performance. A fine antagonist.
There is plenty to worry about in the current online world we live in. There is plenty to worry about the worlds we live in, both virtual and real, as a matter of fact. “Logout” tries to highlight a lot of those. Not all of them came to fruition. Not all of them could have come to fruition as the structure of the genre film does not always allow so. The degradation of morality to stay relevant, quick fame without merit a la ‘Hawk Tuah,’ obsessive fanboyism/fangirling, art vs ‘Content’ – these are some of the few things the film looks into.
However, the most worrisome one, the one captured with sly wit, is the downright apathy that is allowed to grow when the invisible shield of social media pops up. When Pratyush breaks down in front of the camera, a comment waltzes in saying, “Pehle fursat me nikal” (“Get out at the first chance”). This is the punchline of a very popular Indian meme. The single comment outlines how we, in the virtual world, often tend to choose to scoff and ridicule when the situation demands sympathy. The call of memes supersedes the call of being human. Perhaps “Logout” could be a decent reminder to log out of that tendency.
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