Feb 05, 2005 11:58 PM
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(Updated Feb 06, 2005 12:02 AM)
What do we get when some of the finest talents in Indian Cinema come together to make a film? 'Black'!!!Rarely do we get an Indian movie that is just so unlike anything you have seen! It is so depressing and yet so nice because it happens to be just a movie.
Right from the time they aired the promos, I was sure this was going to be a 'heavy on the heart'movie and it definitely is. Some of the sequences in the movie are the most moving ones I have seen all my life in a movie.
Here is the plot and pretty much the whole story from the official Black website (when there is the official thing, why write the same thing in my words).
''Michelle Mcnally is ''special'' in more ways than one.She cannot see ... nor hear nor speak...She inhabits a world of infinite black ... of a seamless, endless void where nothing reaches her and she reaches nothing. Her world is frightening in
its complete remoteness.On the sheer will of her ferocious rage against destiny, Michelle struggles to stay afloat in the impenetrable whirpool her life has become.
Into this devastating isolation enters a battle weary teacher, Debraj Sahai, life's wounded but arrogantly insolent warrior.
With a single minded obsession, Debraj takes up a challenge that is next to impossible - to lead this wild, uncontrollable child into the light of knowledge.
Thus begins a journey of two headstrong individuals. They will overcome failures, obstacles, even ridicule as they tread the path less taken. What they seek is that moment of miracle ¨when the ray of knowledge will penetrate through the dense black of Michelle's life...Black is the cathartic tale of a deaf, mute and blind girl who saw what people with sight fail to see ¨a vision of her God.Michelle Mcnally saw what other lesser mortals could not.She saw her God, heard Him and walked with Him into the light...''
What worked?
Direction
SLB is amongst the finest(we should add gutsy now!) film makers we have in India. To be able to get such stunning performances from his actors is proof of his abilities, but what elevates him to an even higher level is the performance he has extracted from the girl who plays the young Michelle. His treatment of the subject brings poignancy to the film.
If this movie doesn't work, then I'm afraid SLB will start making movies like Devdas again. Devdas was not a bad movie but it was a movie anybody could have made. It is only movies like Black that need a director like SLB.
Acting
Undoubtedly this is the Big B's greatest performance and so it is for Rani. It has been a long long time since we have seen such performances in an Indian movie. The young Michelle, Michelle's Mom are stunning as well.
The sequence when Debraj tries to teach table manners to young Michelle is one of the highlights of the movie and is one scene I will never forget.
Cinematography
Ravi K Chandran! Well, what can we say? He did it with Dil Chahta Hai and now he does it again. The cinematography is awesome ! Everything looks so colorful and perfect. It is funny to say this Black is full of brightness.
Background Scoreis mainly the same you hear from the promos, but pretty much does the trick.It is apt and elevates the impact of the movie.
What didn't work?
Well, to me everything worked, except for maybe the length, should have been 10 or 15 mins shorter.
However, the movie would appeal only to the metros. There is not much for the masses, most of the dialogues are in English (probably because they aready decided that this is going to be sent to the various film festivals across the globe!).
Bottom line
This is one movie you have to watch or should I say experience!!! Just like poems, not everybody will like this movie. This one is a visual poem and one of the most fulfilling movies of recent times.
Dont give a thought to any negative review you come across (most probably rediff reviews, their reviews are always bulls$#&*, Only God knows where rediff finds such dumb reviewers!), go ahead watch it, trust me, you will enjoy the experience.
