Road, Movie: A Wonderful Journey

The Road, Movie is about a journey that the main lead, Vishnu, played by Abhay Deol, undertakes through the course of the movie. The journey is literal and metaphorical, internal as well as external. His father runs a hair oil business and expects him to join the business. At one point, early in the movie, he asks his son to smell the oil as it was his future. But Vishnu just does not seem interested in the oil business.

He takes up an opportunity to drive an old truck to a museum across the desert as a way of running away from the ordinariness of his life. Along the way he meets various characters and some of them become his co-passengers on the truck. He meets a smart, young boy working at a roadside dhaba, desperate to leave, to find a new life in a new place; an old mechanic who wants to go to a mela and the gypsy woman in search of water, whom he starts to love. Some of the best parts of the movie happen when the four are together.

Along the way, Vishnu discovers that the truck has an old cinema projection system and a collection of films. The movie gives a glimpse into how large parts of rural India, bereft of cinema halls, watch films. The movie, in parts, is a tribute to the power of cinema; the power to captivate, to enthrall, to entertain, to transport the audience to a completely different world. And in doing so, the Road, Movie showcases the power of cinema to transform.

In parts, the movie is also an ode to the spirit of adventure. As the Nobel Laureate Anatole France once said, “Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.” The journey teaches Vishnu life lessons that he would not have learnt otherwise.

In the desert, he meets a corrupt cop who forces him to show a movie to the whole village in exchange for sparing them the torture in his cell. He also meets a gang of water dacoits. The spoof on the larger than life villain is spot on and does bring a chuckle. Especially the barter of the hair oil, which will make the dacoits mard, for water is hilarious. The humour in the film is generally understated, in tune with the film’s tone.

The movie features some very good acting. Abhay Deol again shows that he is capable of giving a nuanced and natural performance. Satish Kaushik proves that he has far more talent than the film industry has ever used. Tannishtha Chatterjee, playing a striking gypsy girl, effectively potrays the strength and vulnerability of her character. The scene where she spontaneously starts to sing is beautifully done. Mohammed Faizal as the boy working in the Dhaba is a revelation.

Technically, the film is first rate and matches up to international standards. The cinematography by Michel Amathieu is excellent and the sights and sounds of the dessert are captured beautifully. The backround score for the movie by Michael Brook is modern yet rooted. It is one of those films that take their own sweet time and the director is in no mad rush to get to a twist ending. This is Dev Benegal’s first movie in over a decade and it is worth the wait.

The Road, Movie is a fable about survival, hope, love and dreams. It is subtle and dares to travel on the less-traveled road where most Hindi films do not dare to tread. It does not force feed its audience but respects their maturity. It does not make decisions for the audience but lets them do their thinking and come up with their own answers. Was the Mela for real? Did Vishnu really make love to the gypsy girl? These are questions that the film leaves for the audience to decipher. And that is so very refreshing in an age of dumbed down entertainment ruling the roost.

Rating (3.0/4.0)

Karthik Calling Karthik: A Missed Call

At the outset, I want to say that “Karthik Calling Karthik” has an interesting premise. All of us have to make difficult choices in life. There is always the risk that our judgment will not stand the test of time. Thus, in some way or another, we all yearn for a one-rule-fits-all sort of a solution. But then, real life is a little too complicated for it. In this backdrop, the film is an ambitious project. It is not a regular bollywood movie and the makers need to be given a pat on the back for trying to do something different. But the execution and especially the ending leaves a lot to be desired. Don’t get me wrong; it is not a bad movie. But it is not a movie that stays with you.

For starters, Farhan Akhtar, playing Karthik, does give a competent, heartfelt performance. I really liked his work as the unsure, mumbling Karthik. I do not understand why a filmmaker has to go in for change of look for the actor to transition from being a loser to being a super cool dude. Is there a thing called as a loser wardrobe? And what is this thing about getting rid of the glasses for the lenses? Anyways, that is a discussion for another day. Shonali, Karthik’s object of affection in the movie, is played by Deepika Padukone. She still does not understand that acting as a career certainly requires more than looking good. Though, I must say she is better than her earlier films but barely just.

Whereas the story had the potential to become a pretty good film, what it ends up being is an also ran. The director is successful in building a set-up for a good psycho thriller but is unable to carry through with it. As you go into the intermission, you are excited about what the second half holds. But alas after an exciting bit of foreplay, the climax is a dud. The treatment of schizophrenia is too simplistic and falls flat on its face. The ending is too contrived for its own good. Most of the characters apart from the leads are poorly written and basically caricatures.

The music is fairly decent and most of the tracks are regular Shankar Ehsaan Loy (SEL)-Javed Akhtar collaborations. Some of the songs in the second half clearly slow down the narrative and could have been avoided. The background track “Karthik 2.0” by Midival Punditz – Karsh Kale is really good and very unusual for a Hindi film. The cinematography is good and does serve the movie well. The romance between Deepika and Farhan is actually interesting but the main plot does not hold up for the movie to really build up on it.

In the end, I just want to say that “Karthik Calling Karthik” is a missed opportunity or in keeping with the telecom bit, a missed call.

Rating (2.0/4.0).