Khaad- The abyss
Saw an interesting Bengali movie - Khaad/The Fall - recently. Khaad which translates roughly into deep ravine or pit, is also metaphorically the abyss into which we as humans have sunk and the deep levels of mistrust we nurse against each other. It is a imaginatively handled film by director Kaushik Ganguly, one of our out-of-the box film makers today.
We have a mixed bag of people forced to remain stuck in a ravine in the company of each other for a whole day and night. What is interesting is that these people are hostile, not only towards each other, but also within their small units, whether as a couple, mother-offspring, family unit etc. They nurse deep-rooted grudges against each other, resenting the limitations enforced on them. While one cannot do without the other, one cannot accept the other completely either. So the bickering, squabbles, flare-ups.
Human drama is played out through relationship struggles. Daughter resents her family attempts to separate her from her lover, son grudges the sacrifices he is forced to make for his ailing mother, wife bickers with her husband on his perceived lack of support, sister is ridden with guilt at abandoning her autistic brother, and so on. We start out supporting some of the characters, but change ways mid-way on listening to the other side. No one is black or white.
Director Ganguly trains his lens on human conflict and the ultimate sadness underlying all our relationships. He brings out insecurities which are present within all of us. The piece-de-resistance is the twist in the end, but even without it, I was deeply engrossed and drawn in the drama unfolding on the screen.
Take a bow, Mr. Ganguly. Your ouvre seems to be getting better by the day. Shabdo, Khaad and now Chhotoder Chhobi, you seem to be making it a habit to surprise us with every new venture!
We have a mixed bag of people forced to remain stuck in a ravine in the company of each other for a whole day and night. What is interesting is that these people are hostile, not only towards each other, but also within their small units, whether as a couple, mother-offspring, family unit etc. They nurse deep-rooted grudges against each other, resenting the limitations enforced on them. While one cannot do without the other, one cannot accept the other completely either. So the bickering, squabbles, flare-ups.
Human drama is played out through relationship struggles. Daughter resents her family attempts to separate her from her lover, son grudges the sacrifices he is forced to make for his ailing mother, wife bickers with her husband on his perceived lack of support, sister is ridden with guilt at abandoning her autistic brother, and so on. We start out supporting some of the characters, but change ways mid-way on listening to the other side. No one is black or white.
Director Ganguly trains his lens on human conflict and the ultimate sadness underlying all our relationships. He brings out insecurities which are present within all of us. The piece-de-resistance is the twist in the end, but even without it, I was deeply engrossed and drawn in the drama unfolding on the screen.
Take a bow, Mr. Ganguly. Your ouvre seems to be getting better by the day. Shabdo, Khaad and now Chhotoder Chhobi, you seem to be making it a habit to surprise us with every new venture!
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