Road, Movie is director Dev Benegal's tribute to the magical realm of cinema. He is back in style after a decade-long sabbatical following Split Wide Open, to show the world how much he has matured as a filmmaker. He adds his Midas touch to such an offbeat piece of celluloid, giving it a western aroma only to take you on a journey that is sure to find you wherever you are and promises to take you wherever you want to go.
Vishnu (Abhay Deol) is a young man who is sick and tired of the life that is thrust upon him. To escape from his father's hair oil business, he volunteers to drive an antique 1942 Chevrolet truck across the desert to a museum, only to experience the thrill of adventure amidst his humdrum life. On his way he picks up a young tea-stall boy (Mohammed Faizal Usmani) who wishes for a better life in the neighbouring city and a voluble mechanic (Satish Kaushik) who intends to attend a local fair. Vishnu's road trip is filled with its initial hiccups with the truck breaking down at the drop of a hat. He encounters a corrupt cop who looks for sport in Vishnu amidst the lifeless desert. This is when Vishnu discovers that his truck houses a movie projector and is a mini theatre-on-wheels. He trades their release with the cop who has a libido alive enough to watch blue films.
The third character Vishnu picks up en route is a young gypsy woman, played by Tannishtha Chatterjee of Brick Lane fame. Time and again, amidst the drought-struck desert, Vishnu and his mates pass by a band of women frantically searching for water, the imagery being heightened when they see Vishnu drink from a bottle. Vishnu's presence of mind is heightened in the climax when he dupes the desert-don (Yashpal Sharma) with his hair oil advertisement gimmick. Unfortunately, after 97 minutes, Road, Movie comes to an abrupt halt, leaving you desirous of much more.
Road, Movie, as the name suggests, is both about the life on the road and how the characters are rescued by the movies they screen. Cinematographer Michel Amathieu (Paris Je T'Aime) has captured the barren virgin deserts of Rajasthan with immense grandeur and élan and deserves the laurels for providing the visual imagery. The background score by Michael Brook (Into the Wild) is reminiscent of Gustavo Santaolalla in The Motorcycle Diaries and sets the tone of the journey. Production design by Anne Seibel (Munich) illuminates the sequences of the fun-fair amidst the dull and dry desert, which sadly is just a dream sequence. The dialogues are hilarious and coupled with the comic timing of such seasoned actors trigger giggles and laughs, especially those of the little boy and Satish Kaushik when he is verbose, drunk on Old Monk and high on ganja!! The plot does have scope for improvement and could have been thickened. The characters could have been further developed. All but the protagonist are unnamed. Satish Kaushik is at his comic best. Tannishtha does justice to her limited screen time reaching her peak when she sings an impromptu gypsy song. Abhay Deol shows exactly why he was always who Dev Benegal had in mind. Abhay Deol has grown from strength to strength such that none of his cousins are even distant competition to him. He comes across as very disillusioned and enigmatic and unlike in Dev D, he is shown in this movie searching and drinking water. His chemistry with Tannishtha seems coercive and feeble.
This film is sluggishly slow, just as the speed of the vehicle depicted and it requires tremendous patience to watch and appreciate it. The film conveys an important message of self-discovery and fulfillment albeit it loses direction. Road, Movie is sure to tug at the strings of your heart and is a must watch for all ages. So, get on the road and watch this movie. I am going with a 3.5 stars out of 5.
Vishnu (Abhay Deol) is a young man who is sick and tired of the life that is thrust upon him. To escape from his father's hair oil business, he volunteers to drive an antique 1942 Chevrolet truck across the desert to a museum, only to experience the thrill of adventure amidst his humdrum life. On his way he picks up a young tea-stall boy (Mohammed Faizal Usmani) who wishes for a better life in the neighbouring city and a voluble mechanic (Satish Kaushik) who intends to attend a local fair. Vishnu's road trip is filled with its initial hiccups with the truck breaking down at the drop of a hat. He encounters a corrupt cop who looks for sport in Vishnu amidst the lifeless desert. This is when Vishnu discovers that his truck houses a movie projector and is a mini theatre-on-wheels. He trades their release with the cop who has a libido alive enough to watch blue films.
The third character Vishnu picks up en route is a young gypsy woman, played by Tannishtha Chatterjee of Brick Lane fame. Time and again, amidst the drought-struck desert, Vishnu and his mates pass by a band of women frantically searching for water, the imagery being heightened when they see Vishnu drink from a bottle. Vishnu's presence of mind is heightened in the climax when he dupes the desert-don (Yashpal Sharma) with his hair oil advertisement gimmick. Unfortunately, after 97 minutes, Road, Movie comes to an abrupt halt, leaving you desirous of much more.
Road, Movie, as the name suggests, is both about the life on the road and how the characters are rescued by the movies they screen. Cinematographer Michel Amathieu (Paris Je T'Aime) has captured the barren virgin deserts of Rajasthan with immense grandeur and élan and deserves the laurels for providing the visual imagery. The background score by Michael Brook (Into the Wild) is reminiscent of Gustavo Santaolalla in The Motorcycle Diaries and sets the tone of the journey. Production design by Anne Seibel (Munich) illuminates the sequences of the fun-fair amidst the dull and dry desert, which sadly is just a dream sequence. The dialogues are hilarious and coupled with the comic timing of such seasoned actors trigger giggles and laughs, especially those of the little boy and Satish Kaushik when he is verbose, drunk on Old Monk and high on ganja!! The plot does have scope for improvement and could have been thickened. The characters could have been further developed. All but the protagonist are unnamed. Satish Kaushik is at his comic best. Tannishtha does justice to her limited screen time reaching her peak when she sings an impromptu gypsy song. Abhay Deol shows exactly why he was always who Dev Benegal had in mind. Abhay Deol has grown from strength to strength such that none of his cousins are even distant competition to him. He comes across as very disillusioned and enigmatic and unlike in Dev D, he is shown in this movie searching and drinking water. His chemistry with Tannishtha seems coercive and feeble.
This film is sluggishly slow, just as the speed of the vehicle depicted and it requires tremendous patience to watch and appreciate it. The film conveys an important message of self-discovery and fulfillment albeit it loses direction. Road, Movie is sure to tug at the strings of your heart and is a must watch for all ages. So, get on the road and watch this movie. I am going with a 3.5 stars out of 5.
- Joydeep Roy for MuvieMadlyDeeply.com