Watched this film at Films Division, Mumbai today, as a segment of the event going on there, about experimentation in Indian film. This film was screened today in Mumbai after maybe 20 years (according to Kamal Swaroop), and the last screening was in Delhi last year. The guy who wrote the other IMDb review was the guy who spoke about the movie before it started, it was a great experience. All set for Om Dar Badar and Kaal Abhirati tomorrow. Anyways, the movie is supposedly the most obscure of Mani Kaul's works, and honestly, it creates a rhythm of its own, much like a 'raag', with splendid, minimalist storytelling with some powerful, soul-piercing Hindi. It was a great experience watching this on a 35mm projection and hearing Kamal Swaroop speak about the great man. The movie is full of poignancy and austerity, with deep philosophical connotations. Bharat Gopi is brilliant as an interpretation of Muktibodh and the landscape is expertly leveraged to create utterly realistic images. A visionary work on post-war materialism, some of the lines are just too fantastic. Some work!
Review of Satah Se Uthata Aadmi
