Movie Review by rammesh

One of the best Indian movies I have seen in the recent time thanks to the award winning director Aparna Sen. A word of caution: this is not one of the typical Hindi movies that has songs and dances. This is a class apart from the crowd.

The movie starts in a bus journey and no sooner we feel and become one of among the passengers in the bus. Meenakshi Iyer - an orthodox Tamil Brahmin wife - travels along with her baby Santhanam. Meenakshi finds it very difficult to travel alone with the baby and seeks the help of Raja. Raja - a wild-life photographer and a Muslim, though, not friendly, is helping Meenakshi. The passengers encounter a problem due to a Hindu-Muslim riot on the way and the bus comes to a stop. Hindu fanatics enter the bus looking in search for Muslims. It comes to a point that all suspects are asked to strip to check if he is a Muslim and Raja is in the verge of getting caught when Mrs. Iyer says that he is Mr. Iyer. What a touching moment! A scene when human life is more important than caste and religion is very well portrayed. The passengers are pretty much stranded as the whole place is on curfew. With the help of a cop, Meenakshi and Raja find an asylum - a forest guest house - where there is one good bedroom to stay. Little fight, little argument and finally they reach the destination - Calcutta to separate and go in their ways.

We are in 2001 is the word Raja utters on one occasion and still we are stuck with beliefs. It is very true that we do not need religion or caste for our growth. All these were initially created for our convenience but they should never be dividing us. 

The heroine - Meenakshi Iyer (Konkana Sen) - does a fantastic job. Excellent venue for action and she has is apt for the role. Be it the accent or getup or mannerism - While there are so much of her thoughts and ideologies expressed, so many are untold verbally but through her eyes. Wow! Those beautiful and powerful eyes! Raja (Rahul Bose) also has acted well with a silence always within himself.

The director's care for details is amazing. Every single emotion given the appropriate treatment. Say for example at one point Meenakshi drinks water with difficulty in the fast moving bus lifting the bottle not to sip it. And when she sees Raja sipping the same... Betrayal when a Jew informs about a Muslim couple for his survival... Humor - Raja calling Santa for Santhanam. (I am a Tamilian and its surprising to see child having no pet name? Director, let us be realistic) Well balanced! 

Photography - another great job, especially describing what happened to the Muslim couple in Raja's own way through his camera and inside the bus. Music by Ustad Zakir Hussain - a feast for the ears ringing with Hindustani Music.

The director also has been very careful while defining the relationship between the two - clearly mentioning that it is built more of care than anything else. Meenakshi can never explain this to her husband. And it was well exemplified when Raja gives the film roll back to Meenakshi. Fantastic ending.