From the perspective of production value, the movie is most rich and vivid: rich and vivid visuals, colours, textures, sounds, characters, acting, story, message. My initial reaction when reading the synopsis before watching the movie was, "a Hindi 'Incredible Journey' with children instead of house pets." I was pleasantly validated in this speculative assumption.
The story was told compellingly enough that I found myself emotionally involved in the fate of the children; so much so that I didn't see the reunion coming at the end, and especially that the father makes it, too. A pleasant reward for the engaged viewer.
If I have to offer a negative observation, it's that the portrayals skew a little towards highlighting the weaknesses of the male and the strengths of the female; but balances this out with the portrayal of the priest, who, despite being shrouded in mystery and the ignorant, mythical misconceptions of the Christian expressed in the boogeyman stories of the children (obviously picked up from adults in their lives) for most of the story, ends up being a force of strength and good through which the children are finally reunited with their parents in the end. The promotion of the notion of understanding and human compatibility through inter-religious acceptance and understanding, to destroy the divisiveness of religious intolerance based on ignorance, is a powerful, valid and crucial message for today's world.
And while some may feel that the story is somewhat too saccharinely positive about the prospects of Innocence when thrown up against the perils of Adversity (which means what? That they prefer stories reinforcing a defeatist message of an inevitable capitulation of the good and the innocent to darkness, despair and defeat? That's certainly a winning formula for a successful and happy life and world ); I admire that the story's most powerful message is that Innocence and Goodness not only CAN survive in this world, but can also emerge TRIUMPHANT. These kinds of positive messages are a refreshing and crucial necessity in our world today, beset as it is by a culture and manifestation that seem to deliberately promote the acceptance of the inevitability of the crushing of Innocence and Goodness by the savageries of life in the world; a fallacy I believe, whose final end is near.
Tip of the hat to the Chopra chick. Maybe I had her figured all wrong.
Maybe...
The story was told compellingly enough that I found myself emotionally involved in the fate of the children; so much so that I didn't see the reunion coming at the end, and especially that the father makes it, too. A pleasant reward for the engaged viewer.
If I have to offer a negative observation, it's that the portrayals skew a little towards highlighting the weaknesses of the male and the strengths of the female; but balances this out with the portrayal of the priest, who, despite being shrouded in mystery and the ignorant, mythical misconceptions of the Christian expressed in the boogeyman stories of the children (obviously picked up from adults in their lives) for most of the story, ends up being a force of strength and good through which the children are finally reunited with their parents in the end. The promotion of the notion of understanding and human compatibility through inter-religious acceptance and understanding, to destroy the divisiveness of religious intolerance based on ignorance, is a powerful, valid and crucial message for today's world.
And while some may feel that the story is somewhat too saccharinely positive about the prospects of Innocence when thrown up against the perils of Adversity (which means what? That they prefer stories reinforcing a defeatist message of an inevitable capitulation of the good and the innocent to darkness, despair and defeat? That's certainly a winning formula for a successful and happy life and world ); I admire that the story's most powerful message is that Innocence and Goodness not only CAN survive in this world, but can also emerge TRIUMPHANT. These kinds of positive messages are a refreshing and crucial necessity in our world today, beset as it is by a culture and manifestation that seem to deliberately promote the acceptance of the inevitability of the crushing of Innocence and Goodness by the savageries of life in the world; a fallacy I believe, whose final end is near.
Tip of the hat to the Chopra chick. Maybe I had her figured all wrong.
Maybe...