BREATHE IN, BREATHE OUT. Review on Shwas Movie

SHWAAS

DirSandeep Sawant. CastNilesh Nalavande, Ashwin Chitale.

If someone told you that the person you loved most would lose both his eyes, what would you do? Further on, what if the same person told you that the beloved’s eyes, if not removed at the earliest, would slowly kill him? Would you sacrifice vision for life? And that the authoritative diagnosis came from no apocryphal fellow but a specialist, no less.

What would you do?

What if the person you loved was a spunky terror, all of nine years? An intelligent but moody brat who’s the center of your universe? What if he was slowly losing all interest in life and the things that he loved? What if his diminishing eyesight gave you sleepless nights?

What would you do?

Shwaas enters the hallowed halls of world cinema with a simple story, simply told. Parshuram (Ashwin Chitale) will lose his eyesight because of cancer in the retina, and might stand to lose his life if not operated upon, immediately. The onus of the decision falls squarely on his grandfather (Nilesh Nalavande), who brings him to the city. His last moments in the world of the seeing are passionately documented in Shwaas, India’s entry to the Oscars’.

Ashwin Chitale plays out his part most naturally and it is heartening to see him romping across his Konkan village, in well-executed flashbacks. The background score, needless to say switches from terse to hauntingly soulful effortlessly, adding to the complete cinematic experience. Watch out for the opening credits, the score there sounds a lot like the title theme from Malgudi Days.

The hospital shots are grim, but realistic. It is, however, odd to hear of a medical social worker in a place like Mumbai, giving overt attention to this one case. Besides, the specialist’s expertise is lost somewhere in the screenplay. What exactly he is a specialist in, is left to the viewer’s imagination.

This is a brave effort. Bollywood effectively throttles Marathi enterprise by sheer numbers. And to their discredit, Marathi commercial cinema has long lost its zing and zest. And as such, Shwaas is a burst of fresh air. But, it has been long overdue. But it has been worth the wait for the Marathi manoos who’s been starved for lack of something contemporary to be proud of. Something beyond Sachin Tendulkar, at least.