Reviews

The title Katha means story in Hindi. The movie is about two friends Rajaram (played by Naseeruddin Shah) and Basu (Farooq Shiekh)living in a Mumbai chawl. Rajaram is the tortoise, helpful and kind but "the silent type". Basu on the other hand is what we call as a "gas bag" who brags a lot but does nothing concrete. You need to see the film to find out who wins the race The film is a light hearted comedy. Most American/European readers may not be aware of what a chawl is. A chawl is a three to four storied building where each family has a single room to itself. Chawls in Mumbai and other Indian cities has their own culture and lifestyle. This movie captures the lifestyle in the chawl authentically without making it a documentary. The directors skill lies in creating humor out of everyday situations in a chawl.

Naseeruddin Shah is excellent (as always). Farooq Shaikh does the role of a "gas bag" beautifully. Sai Paranjpee's direction makes this movie a worthwhile watch

The story involves a young man and woman who travel by train to their office and fall in love. The unique thing about this film as with other Basu Chaterjee movies is it captures the life of the middle class very well.

In this movie Basu Chaterjee captures the lifestyle of the middle class urban Christian community in India authentically. Like many of his films the city of Mumbai is an important character in the movie Technically it may not be very advanced but the story and the narrative is one of the finest.

It is unfortunate that most people of my generation (I am born in 1980) have not seen this movie or even heard about it. The lack of knowledge about this movie among the young generation has prevented a good quality DVD of this movie hitting the market.

I have given it 9 out of 10.