Jun 17, 2016 07:52 PM
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Yet another movie by Nagesh Kukunoor that’s bound to make some hearts smile and shed the burden. There’s always something wonderful happening in our lives but we never come to know. We just keep moving on with our peepers directed towards future. Dhanak is a movie that really makes one realize about the magical realism we live in.
The journey is about two kids, Pari(Hetal Gadda) and her brother Chotu(Krrish Chhabria). Their everyday morning walk to school begins win a coin toss outside their small mud house and the winner gets to decide the story that will be told on the way to school. The siblings are rivals in for their love for the two stars; Pari is devoted to SRK and Chotu completely worships Salman Khan(so much that he wears the replica of silver bracelet with blue stone). So the winner decides which superstar story they will be sharing.
Pari, ten-years-old, always holds her eight-years-old brother Chotu’s hand throughout the journey. This is not because she is a sister and a friend to him, since Chotu is visually impaired, she is also his guide. Pari has been failing her exams for two years to study in the same class with her brother. In few months, Chotu will turn nine-years-old and Pari is feels the nudge to fulfill her promise that he will get his eyesight back before his ninth birthday.
The girl gets to live some hope when she sees eye donation posters featuring her favourite star SRK. She writes letters to him, which obviously go unanswered. Later, she gets to know that SRK will be in Rajasthan for shooting his next movie. By knowing this, she is convinced that after meeting SRK, Chotu will get his eyesight back. So this sis-bro duo embark on a 300 km journey traversing through testing locals.
Unlike, other road movies, Dhanak is not about some inward journey for their lead characters. This children who believe in walls made up of sweets are undeniably innocent and their approach towards life is full of trust and pure. On their solo journey to Jaisalmer, they meet some really colourful people that shows the original colour of today’s world. The most outstanding cameos are by Flora Saini and Bharti Achrekar, who play the role of Kalbelia tribal women. Vibha Chhibber who makes an appearance as a fraudulent self-styled God woman known as Mata Sheera Wali. Suresh Menon, the usually loud comedian who is known for his irritating and comic gay characters, plays a role of mute man tending deep pain. That was quite a revelation on his part.
The cocky Chotu lives in the state of denial regards his visual impairment but his courage infuses hope in all the characters that he meets along his journey. He is always hungry for chocolates and keeps asking strangers for it without feeling any shame. On the other hand, Pari is full of gratitude and matured when it comes to her Chotu. But that doesn’t mean she is won’t act her age. Her indomitable spirit is one reason that she makes through thick of times.
There is also back story of these two young children – how they came to live with their aunt(Gulfam Khan) and uncle(Vipin Sharma) and what caused Chotu’s visual impairment? Nagesh Kukunoor has steer clear from all the melodrama surrounding their past and the resentful aunt who has forcefully adopted them.
Talking about the kiddos performances, then I must say Director Nagesh has done an outstanding job for drawing out the convincing performances from two youngsters. For Hetal Gadda, her confidence and comprehension for the role is remarkable. And as for, Krrish Chhabria, it would not have been easy to keep his eyes averted all the time and be led so obediently.
Dhanak is all about the journey and keeping the faith alive. It makes you look at the world through children’s perspective(maybe we need to go back to doing this and make our own wall of sweets) and uses this to symbolise coming of age.
Whether the kids meet SRK or what happens to Pari’s promise to Chotu? For answers to this you definitely need to watch the movie(no spoilers review)
