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)