Shwas - a lifebreath. Review on Shwas Movie

Saw this movie called ?Shwas? which means life breath literally translated in English. I could not find a more apt name for this masterpiece. Every frame is sheer poetry and the music just a brilliant landscape / soundscape of sorts.

The movie is about a six-year-old boy namely Parshuram Vichare who has cancer of retina and his grandfather who brings him to town for medical treatment. The grandfather?s role is played by Arun Nalawade [a prominent Marathi theatre personality]. The grandfather has done a brilliant and convincing job of a figure that feels the pain of his own grandson. The grandson has put up a performance, which no words could do a justice to.

Every actor in this movie has done painstaking amount of homework and it shows in the life likeness of this movie be it the social worker, the doctor or even the mother of Parshuram Vichare who has a small role but has put in an equal effort into it.

Arun Nalawade has done a brilliant study of people from Konkan area and has an amazing grasp of human emotions. His out-of-place-ness in a big city, clumsy efforts around the doctors, his paternalistic attitude makes him a figure to reckon with. The figure of a 56 yr old grandfather who is apprehensive, vulnerable, whose tears flow easily but is still firm about his grandsons treatment breaks all stereotypes. This very breaking of stereotypes is what makes this movie stand out amongst hordes of other ?sensitive? movies which adhere to stereotypes as though it were a bible. The characters in the movie are beautifully etched and easy to identify with.

There is a certain sensitivity about this movie reminiscent of Kairee [by Amol Palekar] the comparison is inevitable as both these movies have captured the Konkan landscape, its people, their sensibilities and everyday life with minute details. [However both these movies are a milestone in their own right and do not need each other to draw in any comparisons] another plus point of this movie is its simplicity; it?s a simple story, simply told. No surreal or symbolic meanings here [thankfully]

This movie is simply brilliant and an absolute must see. I think this movie deserves a lot more attention than it is presently receiving. Here is hoping this poignant story gains wider acclaim not just the critical variety but the mass adoration too.