Light up the darkness. Review on Black - Bollywood

Spirits rejoice

Takes a firm step towards the future

The tears have their own language. The ink of winds can leave the imprints of timelessness. When all the riches of the world fail to buy you that elusive happiness. Where the colours of life are painted but with one darkness. Black lights up the white of the day. Nights don't really matter for they are black anyways. Noise is scream-less while gentleness of the touch or the monstrous tight slap brings a semblance of discipline in a meaningless life. Literally. A life that is normal yet it is incompetent of deciphering the meaning of words, things, objects. Even one's own parents.

There's nothing in the world of eight year old Michelle Magnelli (Ayesha Kapoor, a young girl who gives a knockout performance). God has been unkind to her as He has robbed her of her eyesight. To add to her woes she can't listen what others say. In other words she is blind and deaf. Her rich parents are helpless for the little girl is wild and tortured. Suffering in a world that she knows nothing about. Her loving mother (Shernaz Patel, where have you been? This woman gives acting a new meaning...) tries but one last time of finding a suitable teacher for her 'Special child' as her husband wants her to be sent away to an asylum.

The teacher (Amitabh Bachchan in undoubtedly his best performance till date. Yes Baaghbaan, Deewaar, Sholay or Agnipath shall surely take a back seat after this stellar performance. Trust me he deserves an Oscar... And I am not exaggerating a single bit when I say that. And Mr. Bachchan next time around if you said in any of your interviews that you are just another ''ordinary'' guy then I am gonna sue you. For you can't be ordinary. You are too extraordinary and it is time for the world to acknowledge that.

He is a moody, drunkard who is past his prime and someone who has devoted twenty years of his life teaching deaf and blind children. His training methods are unusual. For he goes beyond the sign language. For him the meaning of life is something else. His own sister had been sent to an asylum and he didn't want the same to happen to Michelle.

Woods are lovely, dark and deep

And miles to go before I sleep

Michell's father isn't too pleased with the teacher's unusual ways of teaching. According to Mr. Sahai, the teacher, Michelle needed to be independent so that she could understand the world better. The word 'impossible' is missing from his dictionary. He considers himself to be some sort of a magician and forcefully believed in it as well. The money involved doesn't matter to him. His only goal now was to make Michelle ''Knowledgeable''.

Life is an ice-cream. Enjoy it before it melts.

Doesn't it sound strikingly similar to the eponymous lines in Tom Hanks Forrest Gump: Life is a box of chocolates; you never know what you gonna get. Mr. Sahai treats his student to an ice cream each time she achieves something. Howsoever small it might be. He also celebrates when she fails in her graduation exams. The idea was that you shall never cherish your success till the time you learn to celebrate your failure.

Michelle grows up into a fine young woman (Rani Mukherjee in a power packed performance) who walks in a strangely likable manner, is self confident, wants to be independent, is proud of what she is and learns to enjoy life in her own special way. But she is still coping with the Black reality of her life that she is not like others.

The fact that she may never get married like her younger sister broke her from within. She requests Mr. Sahai to kiss her once on her lips for he is the only man she had ever known and maybe the last man who would ever come close to her. The poignancy of the kiss is presented brilliantly by director Sanjay Leela Bhansali (I think Devdas was crap, but after watching Black I must tell you that if anyone deserves to be rated as the undisputed king director of India, then its gotta be you.

You deserve an Oscar. And if you don't then it is the loss of Oscars...This guy is magical, stupendous....Out of this world. And most importantly. He has a great sensitive heart. A heart that can sense the pain of others. And that's a rare quality.

Black is a very positive film. And everyone must watch this movie for its sheer humane approach and the giant thought that has gone behind making it. This movie is a classic. And it will be remembered as the film that gave India a true recognition in world cinema.

The production quality is brilliant (That's an understatement), there are no songs (Unusual for a SLB film) but still the background score is a delight, the camera work by Ravi Chandran is a beautiful display of lights, shades and more importantly the right mix of both. All the actors are in terrific form.

BLACK, let's light up the darkness.