MOVIE REVIEW: MANOHAR &I (BENGALI, ENGLISH SUBTITLES, 1 HOUR 58 MINUTES)

SreeKumar K

It was in Manju by MT Vasudevan Nair that I first came across a certain kind of love and relationship. It went deep into my heart though I was only 20 at that time. Later I read a story Rain in Malayalam and I too penned a similar one in the same language,

Years later, I saw an enhanced version of that as a movie by a very dear friend , Amitabha Chaterji, titled Manohar and I. A very charming monochromatic film which shows the different colours of human relationships.

I am tempted to tell the story but bridling myself pretty hard here.

I think black and white was a good choice. The audio and its different tones from musical to baritone, compensated for the shades of colour. By the way, the shades of light is such that one forgets it is a black and white movie.

Visually, the movie is very good. The people are small against huge structures, old and new everywhere. The common man in diminished to an insignificant spot. The movie is full of metaphors and multiple themes and layers. There is a pretty long shot which uses an ordinary angle. It turns out to be the best scene in the movie, as a watching experience.

The popular book Sapiens says that we have reached here coz we are great story tellers. How true! Some are lucky or privileged to have most or much of their story to be true. But for the others, it is still pure fiction. We manage by keeping our stories more and more colourful, though it is grey in reality.  Like the grave, our stories are snug fit for us. They, in fact,  us the same feel. Like the sweater Mala does not wear.

Before I teach the literature class, I ask each of my students to present any two magnitudes of the Universe in class. When they are done, I tell them, “So, that is what we are. Only because it is OUR lives, we make a big thing about it all and we call it literature. The radio, the TV, the traffic which flows like the river of life, all provide a proper back drop to the narration. The characters are mostly alone but in crowds. It is when they are alone that they find more company and space for themselves. The emotions, motives, thwarted determinations, shattered dreams, the half way farewell are all emphasised. The cast and acting are great too.

We are such stuff

As dreams are made on

And our little life is rounded with a sleep (Shakespeare in King Lear)

Except for the use of mobile phone once, ageing looms large in the movie. The dialogues are pointers to the psyche of the characters. The delay in responses are well timed to show the drama that goes on inside. Whenever we think Amitabha is going to resort to cliche, he offers surprises after surprises.

To use a thin concept and develop it into such a creative work, I am thinking of the writing part, is remarkable. I am not equipped to rate the direction but I would love to watch it again and again and suggest it for festivals and friends.