Almost a decade after his last film 'Split Wide Open', and 15 years after the multi-award winning, path-breaking 'English, August'; Dev Benegal returns with his latest - 'Road, Movie'. From a director who has been a poster-boy for independent Indian cinema and a cult figure amongst the young film makers in India, his latest film reaffirms his credentials as a sensitive, visionary film maker who is not afraid to challenge popular perceptions.
'Road, Movie' to begin with is a many layered onion that peels off gradually to reveal an awe inspiring, stunning Indian landscape full of myriad characters stuck in their own microcosms, fitting together like pieces of a jigsaw in a perfect tribute to an extremely diverse and colorful country. At another level, it highlights the soaring human aspirations in a society undergoing rapid development and industrialization, where each of the characters is running away from their past in search of a better life, but is finding it difficult to let go of a hauntingly beautiful and fast disappearing rustic life.
Abhay Deol's Vishnu - complete with an i-pod and a Levi jeans, represents the upwardly mobile yet selfishly aimless Indian youth. An orphaned child laborer played by real life orphan Faizal is clued into the interconnected world's lifestyle in a detached sort of way. A widowed gypsy woman sings melancholy songs of loneliness while hiding from danger, a corrupt cop stuck in a miserable job is driven by lust and power while donning the uniform of a public servant, and a mafia don has a self-taught management degree in doing business in the most precious commodity in the barren landscape - water .
One of the most interesting characters in the film is played by Satish Kaushik. As a 'mechanic' he represents the much older, wiser, guardian angel to the group of 4 leading characters traveling in a 1942 Chevy truck carrying Victoria film projectors, an odd selection of cinema reels, and bottles of hair oil. The truck becomes a haven for these lost souls in their fantasy adventure on the Road, and the Movies they show on the way help them navigate the fear of the unknown with aplomb, laughter and humor.
The film beautifully captures the stunning silent beauty of the vast, barren, haunting landscapes of Thar and Kutch regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat. Besides the humans, the Chevy truck and the Landscape are equally important characters in the movie, speaking volumes through the exquisite cinematography and soul-stirring music. The film's director cleverly uses inanimate objects to build this poetic fable with a magical realism, choosing to be subtle and sensitive, sometimes sacrificing dialog to communicate through his visuals which get imprinted in your memory.
This is a bewitching tale that is bound to linger on in your mind for months, possibly years after you have seen it.
'Road, Movie' to begin with is a many layered onion that peels off gradually to reveal an awe inspiring, stunning Indian landscape full of myriad characters stuck in their own microcosms, fitting together like pieces of a jigsaw in a perfect tribute to an extremely diverse and colorful country. At another level, it highlights the soaring human aspirations in a society undergoing rapid development and industrialization, where each of the characters is running away from their past in search of a better life, but is finding it difficult to let go of a hauntingly beautiful and fast disappearing rustic life.
Abhay Deol's Vishnu - complete with an i-pod and a Levi jeans, represents the upwardly mobile yet selfishly aimless Indian youth. An orphaned child laborer played by real life orphan Faizal is clued into the interconnected world's lifestyle in a detached sort of way. A widowed gypsy woman sings melancholy songs of loneliness while hiding from danger, a corrupt cop stuck in a miserable job is driven by lust and power while donning the uniform of a public servant, and a mafia don has a self-taught management degree in doing business in the most precious commodity in the barren landscape - water .
One of the most interesting characters in the film is played by Satish Kaushik. As a 'mechanic' he represents the much older, wiser, guardian angel to the group of 4 leading characters traveling in a 1942 Chevy truck carrying Victoria film projectors, an odd selection of cinema reels, and bottles of hair oil. The truck becomes a haven for these lost souls in their fantasy adventure on the Road, and the Movies they show on the way help them navigate the fear of the unknown with aplomb, laughter and humor.
The film beautifully captures the stunning silent beauty of the vast, barren, haunting landscapes of Thar and Kutch regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat. Besides the humans, the Chevy truck and the Landscape are equally important characters in the movie, speaking volumes through the exquisite cinematography and soul-stirring music. The film's director cleverly uses inanimate objects to build this poetic fable with a magical realism, choosing to be subtle and sensitive, sometimes sacrificing dialog to communicate through his visuals which get imprinted in your memory.
This is a bewitching tale that is bound to linger on in your mind for months, possibly years after you have seen it.