Release date:
|
March 21,
2014
|
Director:
|
Rajat
Kapoor
|
Cast:
Language:
|
Sanjay Mishra, Seema Pahwa, Rajat Kapoor, Taranjeet, Maya
Sarao, Namit Das, Brijendra Kala, Manu Rishi
Hindi
|
If writer-director
Rajat Kapoor had not cast professional actors in his film, you could be
forgiven for assuming that no one here is acting. Ankhon Dekhi is so utterly real that it feels as if Kapoor just
left cameras randomly lying around in homes, offices and bylanes in Old Delhi to
catch people going about their daily business. The film re-affirms the truth
that we are all heroes and heroines of our own lives. To land that part, we
don’t need connections, a gorgeous face, a godparent, six packs, a tiny waist
or dancing skills. Certainly Bauji (Sanjay Mishra) can’t boast of any of the
above, yet Ankhon Dekhi revolves
around this kindly old man and the consequences of his overnight decision to
never again believe anything he’s not actually seen.
On a physical,
worldly level, this poses obvious problems. For instance, he works in a travel
agency but refuses to confirm to customers any information about destinations he’s
not visited because, well, he’s not been there so how can he be sure? On a metaphysical
level, it leads to discussions on various existential questions. As Bauji stubbornly
sticks to his new principles both on the personal and professional front, he
gathers around himself a group of hangers-on initially filled with amusement
and jibes, but then with disciple-like awe and analysis. You don’t have to be a
movie star or an MD to attract chamchas.
People like Bauji can be found everywhere, delivering gyaan at nukkads and in office canteens, in newsrooms and drawing
rooms, dispensing wisdom with the conviction that it is wisdom, and sometimes convincing
others too. Some Baujis have even founded religions that became billion-dollar
industries. Most, like the leading man of Ankhon
Dekhi, remain frog kings in their little wells.
Point is, there’s often
just a fine line between the genuine and the eccentric, the profound and the pretentious
– it’s all a matter of perspective, the call is yours. Bauji drives his family
and boss nuts, but his innate goodness gets him through life. As it makes
minute observations about that life while joining Bauji in raising questions, Ankhon Dekhi is a joy to watch.
Early in the film,
a local busybody reports to Bauji that his daughter has been hanging out with a
fellow of disrepute. The family – Bauji, his younger brother, their wives and
children – are shaken, of course. These are good people, yet they think nothing
of locking up the girl in her room, dashing off to the boy’s house accompanied
by a cop, roughing him up and threatening to beat him to pulp if he dares to go
near their beti. The cop himself
thinks nothing of being a part of such a blatantly illegal action. Laws be
damned, these are the galis of Purani Dilli, where gossips and bullies have
precedence over the system. Heck, they are
the system.
There are no clichés
or caricatures in Ankhon Dekhi. The
grime is neither glamourised nor over-stated; it’s just there. The humour does
not descend to buffoonery at any point. When you enter a new house you see the
sheen but the camera also mentions that broken flooring in a corner. The
proceedings have such a natural flow to them that everything feels like it’s
unfolding in real time in real life.
The reason of
course is the combined impact of smooth writing, inspired direction and impeccable
casting. After years of being
straitjacketed in clichéd comedic roles (in which he’s been a hoot, no doubt), Mishra
gets to play a truly challenging, intriguing, maddening yet loveable character
and he makes Bauji completely, entirely his own. Seema Pahwa (Seema Bhargava
from Hum Log) is utterly convincing as
Bauji’s abrasive yet loving wife. Kapoor casts himself as the most reticent
character of the clan, Bauji’s younger brother, and is absolutely believable
too. Not a single actor in this ensemble sets a foot wrong throughout. Maya
Sarao as Bauji’s daughter and Taranjeet as his younger sister-in-law are
particularly brilliant. Why on earth do we not see these wonderful artistes more
often on the big screen?
Ankhon Dekhi can be watched at many levels. You could either take it
as a telling, compelling slice of life or you could grapple with the questions
it raises or do both. This is Dilli, take it or leave it, where neighbourly
intrusiveness comes as a package deal with padosans
and colleagues who will drop in to help with wedding preparations without
waiting to be formally asked. This is a joint family, take it or leave it,
where camaraderie comes as a package deal with kitchen squabbles and fraternal ego
clashes. Exasperating, but impossible not to love.
And then there is
this thought: What if you were actually faced with crazy old Bauji as an
interrogator one day? Would you manage to silence him? Or would you, like that
harassed Mathematics teacher in the film, begin to doubt your long-held life
theories? Either way, as entertaining and amusing as Ankhon Dekhi is, it does not spoonfeed the viewer with solutions or
answers. It provokes and then, with its open-ended climax, leaves you to
yourself. This is a real-yet-fantastical film (no, that’s not a contradiction
in terms). It’s sweet, side-splittingly funny in places, brilliantly
acted, insightful and thoughtful all rolled in one.
Rating
(out of five): ***1/2 (stars out of 5)
CBFC Rating (India):
|
U
|
Running time:
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108
minutes
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