MOVIE REVIEW
Cast: Pankaj Kapoor, Shreya Sharma, Deepak Dobriyal, Manek Bedi
Director: Vishal Bharadwaj
Producer: Vishal Bharadwaj, Ronnie Screwvala
Music Director: Vishal Bharadwaj
Lyricist: Gulzar
Cinematography: Sachin Kumar Krishnan
Editor: Aarif Shaikh
Story: Vishal Bharadwaj, Minty, Abhishek Chaubhey
EXCLUSIVE REVIEW BY HANUMANT BHANSALI
The Indian Film Industry is blooming with a variety of cinemas in the making. Over the last few years, the Indian film industry has witnessed a growth of path breaking visioneers, who have couraged to think out of the blue. One of them is Vishal Bharadwaj, a multitalented film maker.
The film is an adaptation of Ruskin Bond’s novel ‘THE BLUE UMBRELLA’. The Blue Umbrella unfolds the story of a blue coloured umbrella that grows on to become an object of desire in a small settlement situated in Himachal Pradesh.
Biniya (Shreya Sharma) is an eleven year old young and chirpy girl. She discovers a bright and attractive blue umbrella. The umbrella is one of its kind and draws the attention of Nandkishore Khatri (Pankaj Kapur) towards it.
Khatri is a miser with a soft spot for mouth watering pickles. He runs a small tea stall in the village. He is acquitted with a smart mind, which he misuses to deceive little kids off their possessions.
With its striking appearance, the blue umbrella is now craved by the whole of village. In quest of it, the villagers lose their calmness. The umbrella is presumed to be mythical and provides immense luck and power to the one who possessed it. In this case, it is Bindiya.
Tragedy strikes one day, when the umbrella goes missing. Who could have stolen it? Is it the villagers or the cunning tea stall owner Khatri.
Vishal Bharadwaj, who had earlier made Makdee for children, attempts another film belonging to the similar genre. He manages to extract convicing performances from all his characters.
The characters are well sketched. The plot succeeds in passing on a message in the end. The second half of the film is grasping compared to the first half.Though, a few cuts in the second half could have carried the narration effectively. Sachin Kumar Krishnan’s cinematography is not upto the mark. Many scenes have lost their magnetism due to poor lighting.
Actingwise, Shreya Sharma delivers a wonderful performance. The first timer brings in a lot of freshness onscreen. Pankaj Kapur is at his usual best, delivering a flawless performance. The supporting cast do justice to the characters they play.
Over 35% of India’s population is under 15 years of age, and film makers should target this sector by churning out more such films catering to children every year. On the box office, the film will find it hard to impress, but on the faces of children it will bring an endearing smile.
Radiosargam Movie Rating: 6/10
Hanumant Bhansali
Part 1
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