Road, Movie
I have seen many a road trip movie , but none like this one. There is some great story telling characteristics in this one.
It boasts a strong script, flawless acting (the whole cast), cinematography that serves as eye candy, witty humor and just simply feel good at the end of it all.
It follows the story of Vishnu, who is probably in his late 20's, frustrated with helping out with his dad's more than boring hair oil business, and is simply looking to get out in search of something fresh and new. He gets a lucky break when he gets a chance to deliver a client's truck all the way across the desert to the "City by the Sea".
Along the way, he meets an ensemble of eccentric wanderers, including a kid who works at the local Chai ki dukkan and is also looking for a new job, an old man wandering through, looking to eventually make his bed at the "City by the Sea" and also believes that somewhere in the middle of the desert, there is going to be a huge Fair with loads of festivities and finally a beautiful widow desperate in search of water.
They make their journey across the barren desert, shot incredibly well, running into corrupt cops, the water mafia and all the fun and frolic at the Fair in the middle of the desert.
They win their freedom from the cops by showing them a bunch of classic bollywood and hollywood movies, which were surprisingly found in the trunk of the truck. Humorously enough, they win their freedom and a life time supply of water from the water mafia
by selling them Hair oil.
This is one of the finest "Coming Of Age" movies i have seen in recent times. Its a very simple movie, but it spoke pretty loud to me.
Satish Kaushik and Abhay Deol have always done a great job at the roles they have played. A big shout out to the kid actor, Mohammed Faizal Usmani,Tannishtha Chatterjee, who plays the beautiful widow and the rest of the cast.
Sparked with a brilliant cinematography, this is a must watch !
Rating : 4/5
Satish Kaushik and the cinematography were outstanding.
ReplyDeleteThe film is well executed but has little social or even entertainment value.
It is an indulgent project geared toward a festival audience. There is little point beyond celebrating hope, cinema and hope through cinema. Films like Be Kind, Rewind and more recently Hugo address the same nostalgia but with a more commercial value.
I liked this film but it meanders too much for the average person.
@rishab
ReplyDeleteThanks for your feedback..
i think it did bring a social value, especially about the illegal privatization of water..and according to me, that's a huge thing..water is *the* most basic necessity and should have never been privatized to start off with..and this film brought around that issue in a very subtle way (sarcastically/sort of making fun of the whole damn thing), because that was not the primary point of the film.
Beyond that, in terms of entertainment value, i think that is a subjective matter.
As far as meandering towards an average person, who am i kidding, i am very very average!
Great post, KP. When I saw the movie and actually loved it, I wondered if anyone else was entertained by it or picked up the subtleties. It always kept me engrossed, wondering what the movie has in store for me next!
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I definitely remembered was the water privatization bit that you mentioned and how well that message was put across,without being in your face, not seeming out of context.
rishisb, I agree that the movie may not be palatable to the majority but I think an average person like myself, in another frame of mind or at another age may have hated the movie.
@gubzoid
ReplyDeletethanks :)