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Sunday, March 7, 2010

road trip movie


People say that there are movies made to win awards and make the critics happy, and there are movies made to earn moolah. Well, I am never able to tell the difference, but there are movies which makes a true movie buffs happy. You can put those in the first category; and ‘Road, Movie’ is a very good example of it. The movie’s look is brilliant.



It has Abhay Deol, who has already created a niche for himself in Hindi cinema, and people are looking up at him. Also it has actor, director Satish Kaushik, along with two more persons, who goes out on a different road trip on a rickety truck, and their life ‘on the road’. Well, this movie is special in two aspects. In India, we don’t really have ‘Road’ movies, and the other one, we don’t have movies which shows love for cinema (ala Nuovo Cinema Paradiso). A big thanks to the director Dev Benegal for showing romance with cinema.

Vishnu is a bored and somewhat escapist, who don’t want to join his father’s oil business. He manages to find out an antique truck, and he ‘sneaks out’ on a road trip, showing movies on the way. He meets three different characters on his way. One is a small boy (Mohammed Faizal Usmani) who works in a dhaba. Abhay takes him along. The other one is Kaushik, who is a strangely dressed mechanic. He helps Abhay when the truck is broke. He also accompanies him, and then comes Tannishtha Chatterjee, who is a gypsy woman. It’s the story of their journey. They all go together on this trip.

Along the way they meet a few hurdles, like a robber’s gang, and the water mafia. They deal with everyone. Look out for the scene, where they are trying to strike a deal by showing a movie, and the other guy asks for a ‘Blue Film’! Well, there are a lot of good instances in this movie, including all the scenes of the small boy Mohammed Faizal Usmani and Kaushik. Usmani is a real find. The way he has handled the witty one liners is really a class apart.

There is no need to say that Abhay has delivered another brilliant performance. Also, he has got a brilliant support from the other actors. Also, it has many theatre actors in small roles, who are out and out brilliant.

The cinematography is just spellbinding. The usage of loud color in the back ground, the fluttering movie reels, and the rustic barren land is a treat to the watch. One problem is the motive of the movie, which is somewhat hazy. There are some unanswered questions. Only the pace of the move was not that slow…!! But nevertheless, it’s a brilliant movie, because it’s a ‘ride’ or ‘journey’ which is always better than the destination. Go, see, and be the witness of the changing face of Indian Cinema.

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