When an Indian film makes it the prestigious Cannes film festival, the world sits up and takes notice! And the lovely ladies swinging on the stage is a recent memory that brings a sense of pride.
I had the good fortune to catch this film on screen recently. A review of such work is unnecessary, but still am bursting to say a few words.
Right from the scintillating background score, to the events that unfold like pages fluttering in an open book, to the effortless performances, it's a masterpiece all right!
The first half romances Mumbai- in the rains, at night, in the bazaars, in dingy rooms, in the local trains.
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| Image source: Wikipedia |
The second half shows what light truly is, brilliant sunshine, crashing waves and salty air in a small coastal village in Maharashtra. You can feel the taste of salt, the breeze in your hair and the touch of sand under your feet, the cinematography is so real.
Payal Kapadia masters the art of holding back, of showing beauty in the mundane. The hospital is shown in all it's ugliness and antiseptic reality, but still you want to see it. Every bead of sweat, every line on the face, every hint of a smile says something.
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| Image source: IMDb |
Kani Kasruti takes us into the skin of Prabha, the level-headed, genuinely loving nurse, who is so conditioned to hold back her desires and emotions. Chhaya Kadam and Divya Prabha depict hope, despair, resilience and childlike optimism alternately. Hridu Haroon looks vulnerable and shy, while conveying passion effectively.
There's nudity, there's sex, but they don't make us baulk in shame. The scenes are woven so naturally that they don't look titillating. That's the difference of a woman's gaze I suppose.
Do see this magnificent film on female bonding, humaneness and touching simplicity.
#allweimagineaslight #canneshonour #lyricismoncelluloid #payalkapadia #kanikasruti #divyaprabha #chhayakadam
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