Movie Review - Hrudayantar

Child / Family member having Leukemia or being terminally ill is a theme that has been dealt with more times than you and I would care to count; which is also an observation critics have made of this movie as well. Thus, if you are deciding to make a movie on this aspect or theme, then it should be having loads of glue so that the audience will respond to it; which is not easy to do in the modern day with its fickle and well-informed audience. As per some critics, it is a movie that has an old subject or is predicatable; as per me – this stands as one of the most stunning movies ever made in its genre, any language. So what is it that makes this movie stand out among all others?

THE PLOT

This is the story of a DITK family – Double Income Two Kids family;  The Husband {Shekhar, played by Subodh Bhave} is a top – and I mean top – hotelier; the lady {Samaira, played by Mukta Bhave} is the Creative Head of an Ad Agency; two successful and exceedingly well-placed individuals. They have two children – Nitya and Nysha, played by Trushnika Shinde and Nishtha Vaidya. The couple are going through a hard phase, as the Husband is a workaholic who has not learnt to navigate the fine dividing line between office time and personal time; a man who lives only and only for his job.

The lady, on the other hand, has managed to fit in both into her life, and justifiably expects the husband to do so as well. This leads to them filing for divorce by mutual consent; and then disaster strikes, in the form of the elder daughter getting diagnosed with Leukemia. The rest of the story revolves around this theme, as the couple respond to this crisis, and together they try and do everything within their power and the power of medicine, to save their girl. How the family responds, reacts, coalesces, how each family member copes with the crisis is the crux of the movie.

THE ANALYSIS

As can be seen, the plot is quite straightforward; what matters in a movie is not just the plot, but the whole package; that is what most professional reviewers have been forgetting. On site after site, one can see that critic reviews and customer reviews vary from each other by a wide margin – Bookmyshow, 4.1 vs 3.2, with 80% loves; most other sites are also showing a 0.5 higher rating by customers. To the professional reviewers – those figures are telling a story, that w don’t agree with you. Isnt a movie supposed to be about the audience? And if your ratings don’t tally, what does that say?

So what is it that makes this movie one of the best I have ever seen – given that it has reached my blog, which has only reviewed 10-odd movies in the past 6-7 years, it is, to me, a very special movie indeed? It is the entire package, which comes together in one magnificent whole to make a great product. It is the attention to detail, the minutiae, the small aspects that create the magic. Add to that the uniqueness in the script {A script is different from A story!}, the screenplay, the performances, the music and the direction – all of these come together in one magical product, a product that can be seen again and again. I for one cant wait to see Shekhar and Samaira on screen once again, that is for certain!

The script seems logical – the moment the illness hits, the interpersonal issues of the couple vanish – unlike some other movies we have seen in this genre. This is entirely logical; that is the first aspect that hits home. Gone are the fights, the disagreements, the egos – in one stroke of terrifying lightning, as the couple immediately comes together. The best part – they don’t become lovey-dovey overnight; it is just that the immediate priority is fighting the crisis, which makes them rise above their internal issues. This is dealt with superbly, with the script and the screenplay showing a slow and decidedly thaw developing as the story progresses. This took some doing – as the illness hit within the first 30 minutes of the movie. The way the script and the screenplay develop this is masterly!

Second, the Performances. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! Simply amazing! Subodh Bhave – I have always maintained that Subodh is among the best actors ever produced by our country; and was therefore wondering if Mukta Barve can hold her own against such a powerful screen presence, with an actor with such a wide range of capabilities as seen in his other efforts. I have earlier noted her abilities in no uncertain terms in one other review before; and had a very high regard for her. Despite this, I must confess I was concerned about this casting, and was eagerly waiting for the results.

I needn’t have worried; this casting was a masterpiece. The script required two strong performers of equal merit, depth and range of emotions, and gravity of purpose and screen presence to cocreate magic; this was achieved by this casting. The expressions, the movements, the gestures, the faces, the body language – and the eyes; especially the eyes. I saw two acting aces, geniuses pull off what has to be the best performance of their lives, and that is saying something. So captivating were the two performances, so absolutely mind boggling, that you are moved to tears, and yet maintain a great mood, as you watch, transfixed, as Samaira and Shekhar take us deep into their lives.

A word here for Trushnika and Nishtha, the two child actors; I am speechless at the talent of these two incredible performers. They add the required substance, believability, class and connect to the movie, and their performance had to be just right; not too overdramatic, not underdone. And it was perfect, as near perfect as can be. Without these two performances,  the movie would have lost a lot of its sheen; it is the overall balance in the entire product that makes it great.

And it is here that directorial genius becomes evident – the directorial efforts get hidden by two towering geniuses in Samaira & Shekhar; but getting the kids, the supporting actors to also perform as well -  is class direction. It is also evident in the overall construction of this landmark project, the music, the balance, and the overall handling; we have a new and very, very talented director who would bear watching very closely indeed – if his first venture is anything to go by. I have said nothing of the music so far – so let me correct that; the music with its mix of lively and mood numbers is just right for the movie, and is very good indeed – and also gels well with the screenplay, script and the characters.

CONCLUSION

To Film Critics – couldn’t all of you see these aspects? Why the comparatively miserly rating for such a great product? Just because it deals with an oft-dealt with product? What do you guys require to rate a move highly, do tell me! And if the audience rates the movie higher, much higher – then I respectfully submit that there is a lack of audience connect on your part. All in all, this is one of the finest movies made in India in its genre. It is a complete entertainer; despite being a relatively tragic topic, you come out transfixed and in a great mood. That is one hell of an achievement! Rated 5 stars out of 5, and I wish I could rate it 7 stars out of 5!