While being marketed as a movie that shows us a peek into the lives of the 95% of any world populace, this ultimately turns out to be much, much more than just that.
At its heart, this is a heartwarming tale of the relationship between a loving father and his affectionate/devoted son, who've just lost something/someone really dear to them. Keeping that in mind, this devolves into a study of the environment around them, keeping the profession of the lead in mind (sweeper / garbage disposal temp), and the challenges faced by the father to keep their little family afloat in the face of diversity - the numerous instances of city dumping into populated areas and the protests arising thereupon, the instances where so-called white collars literally dump stuff on the road and in pristine locations and many more, which perhaps could have turned a tad episodic, but I understand could not be avoided considering the milieu.
The performances are mostly natural, and almost never forced, and every technical aspect serves to narrate the tale and nothing else, including the twist carefully ticked away in the narrative.
To keep things further in perspective, I had no clue what to expect from the movie, or the actors, or the director. So everything that unfolded, from the pristine cinematography, the just-enough prod design, the fantastic and natural acting, and the just-right score was a pleasant surprise, and served the tale to the extent necessary for us to remain invested in it.
Narratively too, this packs a couple of related surprises, that make this more than just another slice-of-life docu-drama. Though it stubbornly refuses to move to the realm of mainstream cinema, a fact for which most of us are immensely thankful and appreciative, it manages to use a few of the tropes inherent within, a little cleverly too, and that kinda succeeded in bringing closer those audience-members who may like to stay away from reality-based movies, and I do hope that the marketing succeeds in bringing them to the cinema, so they can be first won over, and then proceed with the surefire positive word-of-mouth that might bring others in droves. Sigh. If only that weren't just wishful thinking, since the marketing on this one (in reality) has sucked big-time, with me not even knowing that the lead has already won the (Indian) National award this year for his superb, genuinely award-worthy performance.
In any case, I'll be definitely revisiting this one again, given the opportunity, and recommend it sincerely to audience-members who seek more than just the usual weekend movie-fix.
At its heart, this is a heartwarming tale of the relationship between a loving father and his affectionate/devoted son, who've just lost something/someone really dear to them. Keeping that in mind, this devolves into a study of the environment around them, keeping the profession of the lead in mind (sweeper / garbage disposal temp), and the challenges faced by the father to keep their little family afloat in the face of diversity - the numerous instances of city dumping into populated areas and the protests arising thereupon, the instances where so-called white collars literally dump stuff on the road and in pristine locations and many more, which perhaps could have turned a tad episodic, but I understand could not be avoided considering the milieu.
The performances are mostly natural, and almost never forced, and every technical aspect serves to narrate the tale and nothing else, including the twist carefully ticked away in the narrative.
To keep things further in perspective, I had no clue what to expect from the movie, or the actors, or the director. So everything that unfolded, from the pristine cinematography, the just-enough prod design, the fantastic and natural acting, and the just-right score was a pleasant surprise, and served the tale to the extent necessary for us to remain invested in it.
Narratively too, this packs a couple of related surprises, that make this more than just another slice-of-life docu-drama. Though it stubbornly refuses to move to the realm of mainstream cinema, a fact for which most of us are immensely thankful and appreciative, it manages to use a few of the tropes inherent within, a little cleverly too, and that kinda succeeded in bringing closer those audience-members who may like to stay away from reality-based movies, and I do hope that the marketing succeeds in bringing them to the cinema, so they can be first won over, and then proceed with the surefire positive word-of-mouth that might bring others in droves. Sigh. If only that weren't just wishful thinking, since the marketing on this one (in reality) has sucked big-time, with me not even knowing that the lead has already won the (Indian) National award this year for his superb, genuinely award-worthy performance.
In any case, I'll be definitely revisiting this one again, given the opportunity, and recommend it sincerely to audience-members who seek more than just the usual weekend movie-fix.
