When this came out, it sure seemed like t'was a good week for Indian Indies.
Rajat Kapoor, finally out with a great effort after one of the best pulp crime dark comedies ever made in the Indian milieu, 'Mithya'.
(He has made other movies before and since, but that stood out for me, and parts of 'Mixed Doubles')
This one's called 'Aankhon Dekhi' and was out in just a few screens - in and out within a week, and in few lucky locations, about 2 weeks.
Rajat has always been a bold artist, both in his acting as well as directing choices, but this perhaps could be his boldest work, in spite of being an Indie, and the pitch itself would have been nightmarish to pull off.
Its also perhaps his slickest, and he ensures that Delhi is captured every lovingly throughout. The respect for his characters shows throughout, as do his musical choices, all of which firmly scream 'Indie'.
Sanjay Mishra, widely regarded a great actor, is perfectly cast (along with the rest) as the family patriarch, with Rajat casting himself (against type) as the Khadoos chacha. Its all about how each of lives reaches a point where something happens to make us change perspective (which one character also casually dismisses as 'menopause'), and how that even that affects us in making a radical change affects those around us. Though this flick is much more than that, with us, as the audience, just joining the protagonist in a journey that he's already on, this is the beginning point for us as we get on the ride.
It called to mind the trip I had a few months earlier with 'Om Dar- ba-dar', though this one stays firmly in the real world and sticks the landing too. A trip nevertheless, both for us, the audiences, as well as the lead protagonist, who has a crisis of faith (some might disagree, but this was my lens doing the viewing) when we first encounter him initially, and yet stays firm in his conviction of doing something different in his life that he has never done earlier, something that casts him in a different light, and brings the neglected skills, nee, requirements that are critical thinking and the ability to reason. Sadly, though this is a poster child of sorts for both those attributes, the audiences, mainstream and Indie alike, have chosen not to use both in their decision to ignore this. Ironic, like most things are. In hindsight, this also would've made a good entry to being shortlisted as this country's entry for the Oscars, and I'm not sure it was considered. Like that 1988 movie I referred to earlier, the trip, I do hope this one also finds it audience over time, and Rajat manages to match the level of film- making that he seems to have attained with this one.
I did observe a few audience-members (most of them well-behaved and who enjoyed/respected the material) complain about the abruptness of certain sequences, but I beg to disagree completely. This is not for anyone who's after instant gratification - Salman movies exist for that purpose. This one takes its time, and breathes.
I still have no clue why there was almost next-to-no-buzz about this one, no festival talk either (this would make a great representation for India all across) and all I've seen's just the poster since 1 month back. Sad. 'Lunchbox' guys did it wayyy better in terms of publicity, and movies such as this one deserve such an approach.
Ranvir Shorey and Saurabh Shukla have blink-and-miss cameos. Its always nice to watch them in action, no matter how short the runtime. Wish there was one with Vinay Pathak as well.
Don't miss it - support good cinema by watching it on the big screen. And do it this week, cuz it just might leave cinemas by then.
Rajat Kapoor, finally out with a great effort after one of the best pulp crime dark comedies ever made in the Indian milieu, 'Mithya'.
(He has made other movies before and since, but that stood out for me, and parts of 'Mixed Doubles')
This one's called 'Aankhon Dekhi' and was out in just a few screens - in and out within a week, and in few lucky locations, about 2 weeks.
Rajat has always been a bold artist, both in his acting as well as directing choices, but this perhaps could be his boldest work, in spite of being an Indie, and the pitch itself would have been nightmarish to pull off.
Its also perhaps his slickest, and he ensures that Delhi is captured every lovingly throughout. The respect for his characters shows throughout, as do his musical choices, all of which firmly scream 'Indie'.
Sanjay Mishra, widely regarded a great actor, is perfectly cast (along with the rest) as the family patriarch, with Rajat casting himself (against type) as the Khadoos chacha. Its all about how each of lives reaches a point where something happens to make us change perspective (which one character also casually dismisses as 'menopause'), and how that even that affects us in making a radical change affects those around us. Though this flick is much more than that, with us, as the audience, just joining the protagonist in a journey that he's already on, this is the beginning point for us as we get on the ride.
It called to mind the trip I had a few months earlier with 'Om Dar- ba-dar', though this one stays firmly in the real world and sticks the landing too. A trip nevertheless, both for us, the audiences, as well as the lead protagonist, who has a crisis of faith (some might disagree, but this was my lens doing the viewing) when we first encounter him initially, and yet stays firm in his conviction of doing something different in his life that he has never done earlier, something that casts him in a different light, and brings the neglected skills, nee, requirements that are critical thinking and the ability to reason. Sadly, though this is a poster child of sorts for both those attributes, the audiences, mainstream and Indie alike, have chosen not to use both in their decision to ignore this. Ironic, like most things are. In hindsight, this also would've made a good entry to being shortlisted as this country's entry for the Oscars, and I'm not sure it was considered. Like that 1988 movie I referred to earlier, the trip, I do hope this one also finds it audience over time, and Rajat manages to match the level of film- making that he seems to have attained with this one.
I did observe a few audience-members (most of them well-behaved and who enjoyed/respected the material) complain about the abruptness of certain sequences, but I beg to disagree completely. This is not for anyone who's after instant gratification - Salman movies exist for that purpose. This one takes its time, and breathes.
I still have no clue why there was almost next-to-no-buzz about this one, no festival talk either (this would make a great representation for India all across) and all I've seen's just the poster since 1 month back. Sad. 'Lunchbox' guys did it wayyy better in terms of publicity, and movies such as this one deserve such an approach.
Ranvir Shorey and Saurabh Shukla have blink-and-miss cameos. Its always nice to watch them in action, no matter how short the runtime. Wish there was one with Vinay Pathak as well.
Don't miss it - support good cinema by watching it on the big screen. And do it this week, cuz it just might leave cinemas by then.