Let me start off by saying that I don't remember much of the Apu trilogy, because I was at an age where Arnie in 'Predator' or 'Commando' made a bigger impression on me than someone depicting the vagaries of Indian life, that too in the stilted framing of yesteryear, that too in monochrome.
When I heard that this one was playing in town, and that it showed the life of one of the more largely ignored child actors of all time, I was interested in seeing that aspect of life, because, let's face it, I am at an age now where I understand how it is to be ignored, to be neglected, and yet plod on with life like a (for lack of a better simile) zombie does.
This movie is framed very interestingly, with 3 narratives criss-crossing simultaneously. 1, the near-present, where a FTI student takes the old man through the motions of traveling to Germany to be felicitated for being 'Apu'. 2, that part of the ignored, frustrating life this old man had, after tasting near-success with his childhood acting stint, where he;s trying to go through the motions of being a dutiful householder. 3, and perhaps the most intriguing choice of all, since it (IMO) does not serve the main narratives much except as a curio/diversion, portions from the Apu trilogy that mirror this householder's life, where we're supposed to understand that he's living through his painful present, whilst re-living their memories from the shoot.
The technical aspects are great, with the footage and the flashback framed in monochrome, and the near-present portions filmed in color. The score is sparse, yet magnificent, rivaling the other masterpiece of scoring this year, from the Indian Indie diaspora - Aankhon Dekhi.
I now have a crush on Parno, and for me, all her interactions with Parambrata, though few and sparse (that word again), clichéd, yet supremely sweet, always put a smile on my face. Contrast this with the darkness that pervades the protagonist's life, and you have quite a few sweet memories to cherish, like he does all through.
I thought the director's grasp on his craft was found wanting with a few in-your- face/unsubtle choices he made initially, but though they do remain as fact, he more than makes up for it by staying on-target, and delivers a simple peep into the not- so-special life of another Indian living in obscurity. Pity they didn't get the real Subir to enact it all, and a testimony to the actor/s who did, making us forget that this is a movie, not a slice-of-life.
Not to be missed at the local multiplex.
When I heard that this one was playing in town, and that it showed the life of one of the more largely ignored child actors of all time, I was interested in seeing that aspect of life, because, let's face it, I am at an age now where I understand how it is to be ignored, to be neglected, and yet plod on with life like a (for lack of a better simile) zombie does.
This movie is framed very interestingly, with 3 narratives criss-crossing simultaneously. 1, the near-present, where a FTI student takes the old man through the motions of traveling to Germany to be felicitated for being 'Apu'. 2, that part of the ignored, frustrating life this old man had, after tasting near-success with his childhood acting stint, where he;s trying to go through the motions of being a dutiful householder. 3, and perhaps the most intriguing choice of all, since it (IMO) does not serve the main narratives much except as a curio/diversion, portions from the Apu trilogy that mirror this householder's life, where we're supposed to understand that he's living through his painful present, whilst re-living their memories from the shoot.
The technical aspects are great, with the footage and the flashback framed in monochrome, and the near-present portions filmed in color. The score is sparse, yet magnificent, rivaling the other masterpiece of scoring this year, from the Indian Indie diaspora - Aankhon Dekhi.
I now have a crush on Parno, and for me, all her interactions with Parambrata, though few and sparse (that word again), clichéd, yet supremely sweet, always put a smile on my face. Contrast this with the darkness that pervades the protagonist's life, and you have quite a few sweet memories to cherish, like he does all through.
I thought the director's grasp on his craft was found wanting with a few in-your- face/unsubtle choices he made initially, but though they do remain as fact, he more than makes up for it by staying on-target, and delivers a simple peep into the not- so-special life of another Indian living in obscurity. Pity they didn't get the real Subir to enact it all, and a testimony to the actor/s who did, making us forget that this is a movie, not a slice-of-life.
Not to be missed at the local multiplex.