A Reason To Smile. Review on Mitr

I’ve come to a conclusion lately. Indian films have their dry spells from now and then. Take this past year for instance, with the exception of ‘Lagaan’ we’ve just been absolutely bombarded with inane potboilers with formula magic and long names you would hardly want to recall. And just when you think that all hope is lost one person comes up with a bright new concept and clarity is restored.

In the tradition of groundbreaking women film makers like Kalpana Lajmi, Aruna Raje, Mira Nair we have the latest entrant into the world of cine promise ; actress turned director Revathy. Her debut venture ‘Mitr : My friend’ is a promising story of human proportions and heartfelt sincerity. We meet Lakshmi, the protagonist on the eve of her wedding to Prithvi , a software engineer from California. Right from the doorstep of her parents home in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu you are visually spirited away to the New World, Lakshmi’s future home and the country that scores of immigrants seek their dreams in, namely The United States of America. After this brief but apt exposition the story progresses to 18 years later. Prithvi is a vigorous entrepreneur, busy climbing up the corporate ladder. Lakshmi is engrossed in raising their daughter Divya who has embraced the culture of her birth home much faster than her mother. The mother and daughter have tussles that are familiar to any parent living away from India trying to cultivate a balance of cultures for their children to follow. ‘mitr’ is literally a coming of age story for the three characters of Lakshmi, Prithvi and Divya. Each one encounters change in their perspective, Lakshmi finds a niche for herself in an alien land, Divya realizes the true worth of her sometimes ‘clingy’,’nag mom’ and Prithvi comprehends the true nature of his reason for existence.

There couldn’t be a better movie that propagates the adage that ‘a girl’s best friend is her mother’. And that’s all you need to know about the primary storyline that lends the movie its identity.

A lot of effort has gone into this vehicle manned mainly by an all woman crew. The entourage is lead by famed Tamil actress Revathy ( best known for her roles in films like ‘Punagai Manan’ ‘Pudhiya Mugam’) under whose direction “mitr’ comes across as a film with finesse and sincerity. For Revathy this has been an experience like no other and as a viewer you will share her enthusiasm to the very end. The background score has an unusual quality to it, a very varied mix of songs . They range from a soothing ghazal ‘Ehsaas’ by Hariharan, to a carnatic journey ‘Kuzhaloodhi” by Bombay Jayashree to a peppy, inspirational ‘Thom tana’ by Vasundhara Das. These melodies just blend into the background and the various situations. They highlight the highs and the lows faced by each of the characters.

The middle-aged protagonist Lakshmi is played by National award winning actress Shobhana who also is an accomplished classical dancer. She breezes through her role with the grace and the elegance befitting that of an intense artiste. To play the workaholic Prithvi , Revathy roped in Delhi based model /actor Naseer Abdullah. He does a rather neat job of bringing to life the unconscious alienation that Prithvi reduces himself to from his family life. The third angle in this family triangle has Preeti Vissa playing their teenage daughter Divya. A resident of the United states the role for Preeti was like treading home ground and visiting situations familiar to most people living outside of India. Apart from these three salient characters two other personalities form catalysts to events in the story. As the family’s new neighbours we have Matthew Phillips as Steve and Blake Ormsby as Paul. These two boys are the ones who actually help Lakshmi break out of her shell of loneliness and see life in a new joie de vivre.

On the whole if I were in an instant give a rating to Mitr:My friend on the scale of ten, I’d give it a nine any day. This film is a must see for Indians living abroad because it tugs at familiar heartstrings and a not-to-be-missed fare for Indians back home to get a glimpse at the true nature of life for us in the United States.( just a reality dose that all is not a bed of roses outside of your home)