The Director: Vishal Bhardwaj
The Troupe: Vishal Bhardwaj Pankaj Kapur, Shreya Sharma, Dolly Ahluwalia
The Buzz: A Kid's movie.
The Shell: Little Biniya (Shreya Sharma) exchanges her lucky amulet for a beautiful Blue Umbrella with some Japanese tourist to the idyllic hill station where she lives. Nandkishore Khatri (Pankaj Kapur) , who runs a tea stall there covets the umbrella for himself. One fine day, the umbrella is stolen and Nandu stand accused. What follows is a beautiful tale of temptation, crime, guilt, forgiveness and redemption.
The Feel: It is a movie you will not forget in a hurry. Don’t expect anything filmy at all in here. The story is heartwarming, and also harsh (if you are a criminal). If you are looking for a good movie that will teach values to your child, do pick this up.
The movie has been shot spectacularly in Khajjiar and Dalhousie. The cinematography is breathtaking and provides a magnificent backdrop to the story.
The Spiel: The movie is based on the popular short novella by Ruskin Bond. He is famous for his simple, heartfelt tales of the hill people. The movie has been extremely well adapted by Vishal Bhardwaj. To the usual question, was the movie better than the book, you might be tempted to say ‘Yes’.
The Last Word: If Vishal Bhardwaj was not enough reason for watching this movie, Pankaj Kapur with his standout performance as Nandkishore Khatri surely is. He is definately one of the best actors of the Indian Television and Films.
Watch out Dolly Ahluwalia who puts in a comic cameo as the Masterjee’s wife. Watch out for the little apprentice who is a go-getter to the core of his little soul.
Author: The pink bee