India's official entry to Oscars, Village Rockstar movie review is out now. Written, directed and produced, among other things, by Rima Das, Village Rockstars stars actors Bhanita Das and Basanti Das.
In a particularly subtle but heart-wrenching scene that depicts the aftermaths of flood, Basanti tells her daughter Dhunu that all their crop is ruined. The camera focuses on her face as she looks at her flooded land. Her dried up eyes and a lost sparkle in her voice move you because by now you have followed them in their day-to-day life and sort of lived in the world which is unfamiliar to most of us. You know how much it meant to the single mother. And when the curious Dhunu asks that the crop is ruined every year due to flood then why do farming again? Basanti replies, saying that it's their religion.
There are many such gems that will leave a lasting impact on you. But, make no mistake, Rima Das' Village Rockstars doesn't demand your sympathy. In fact, it's a simple tale of finding beauty in simplicity, why it is important to dream and how a section of society, which we tend to ignore, live, rather survive, every day of its life.
At 87 minutes, Village Rockstars sails smoothly. The storyline is simple. It's about a girl named Dhunu (Bhanita Das), who hails from a small village, Changaon, in Assam, and her dream of owning a guitar and forming her own rock band. The film has a lot of heart. For the most part, I found myself smiling watching the chronicles of Dhunu, her brother and his friends.
The movie is almost a commentary on the several stereotypes in society. Our lead character, Dhunu, is an antithesis of all the norms a girl is expected to follow. She hangs out with boys, climbs trees, explores places, something which a girl is not allowed to do. In one scene, she is even scolded by village aunties who reprimand her to behave like a girl. What follows is a powerful scene where her mother Basanti rants about how it's no one's business how her daughter chooses to live her life. She goes on about how she is working hard for her kids so that they live the way they want. Basanti is a woman of substance who is doing everything in her capacity to fulfil her children's wishes. Even if it's to buy a guitar for her daughter.
In another scene, Basanti is teaching Dhunu swimming but it is not for fun, leisure or desire but it's a necessity. Her husband and Dhunu's father had drowned during floods.
It won't be wrong to call Village Rockstars a one-woman show, well sort of. The movie is produced, written, directed, edited by Rima Das and not just that, the cinematography, as well as the production design, is done by the talented filmmaker. The music is used very subtly throughout its narrative. Rima has beautifully captured the picturesque locales of this particular part of Assam.
Another major win for the film is its star cast. It is surprising to see that all the actors in the film were untrained. Everyone is as natural as it gets, especially Bhanita Das and Basanti Das. Both their characters are two ends of a spectrum, Dhunu, full of dreams and hopes, for whom possibilities are endless. And Basanti who is making ends meet to make sure that her daughter can dream as big and as much as she wants.
On the downside though more than Dhunu, the lead character, I was moved by Basanti, her mother and her life choices.
Overall, Village Rockstars is like a poetry in motion. It is not everyone's cup of tea and demands you to completely surrender yourself to its world. But once you do, you will find yourself engrossed in it with a twinkle in your eyes. You will be transported back to the simpler times and will be charmed by its old world. By the end of it, you are bound to leave the theatre with a smile on your face. A beautiful tale of hope and dreams.
Rating: 3.5 stars
0 comments:
Post a Comment