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Portrait of an Average Man

1984·Movie
1h 6min
70
GoodGoodWatch score

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No stream option in US yet.

Portrait of an Average Man fingerprint

Strong craft, light on feelings.

Energy

Tense

Builds slowly, so the intensity comes in waves.

  • Tension7
  • Adrenaline3
  • Fast Pace3

Heart

Moving and melancholic

Much of it is about family.

  • Pathos8
  • Melancholy7
  • Family Dynamics7

Humor

Some satire

Not a comedy at heart.

  • Satire & Parody5
  • Wit & Wordplay3
  • Dark Humor3

World

Society, class and money, and everyday modern life

  • Dialogue Centrality8
  • World Immersion6
  • Ambiguity6

Craft

Standout performances and characters

  • Meta Narrative9
  • Acting8
  • Character Depth8

Style

Functional look and sound

  • Cinematography6
  • Editing6
  • Music Composition6

Who it's for

AdultsFriends NightPublic Viewing SafeSolo WatchTeensBackground WatchDrop-in FriendlyThought-Provoking

Based on the GoodWatch fingerprint: our scores for 70+ attributes of every movie. Select a row to see all of them.

About

In this rather routine, made-for-television movie by famed Indian director Mrinal Sen, an employee (K.K. Raina) in a large office is suddenly facing unemployment because his bosses have found him guilty of negligence. He is devastated, but he cannot lose his job since he is the only support of his family. Interspersed with the employee's efforts to convince his boss, in several different ways, that he cannot be fired are direct dialogues with the author (Shyamanand Jalan) who created the character of the employee. In these latter conversations, the employee berates his creator for giving him an impossible, no-win situation — he has no control over his fate.
Indian Social CommentaryMeta-NarrativeExistential CrisisWorkplace DramaPhilosophical DialogueBleak RealismCharacter StudyEconomic Injustice

Crew

Directed by:
Written by:

Sequels and Prequels

No sequels or prequels available

Media

Questions about Portrait of an Average Man

Quick answers from GoodWatch data.

Where can I stream Portrait of an Average Man legally?

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Is Portrait of an Average Man worth watching?

70
GoodGoodWatch score

Mostly. It's well received, with a GoodWatch score of 70/100. The GoodWatch score combines critic and audience ratings.

How long is Portrait of an Average Man?

1 h 6 min

Portrait of an Average Man runs 1 h 6 min.

What language is Portrait of an Average Man in?

Hindi

It was made in Hindi. Produced in India.