I ventured this as casually as possible, my curiosity limited to seeing Arundhati Roy, Roshan Seth and Shah Rukh Khan. Within minutes though, I was hooked. By the time I was done with it, I kept thinking that this had certainly been one worthwhile outing among many cinematic excursions of late.
Written by Arundhati Roy and featuring her as well, 'In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones' is a slice of student life at the fictional National Institute of Architecture in the mid seventies. In a way, it foreshadows the significance hostel life and elite education would have in India in the years to come. Especially the former. However, that isn't Miss Roy's intent here. As is evident, she sources from The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand), draws from her School of Planning and Architecture experience, peppers the scene with 70s counter-culture and makes room for her own observations and witticisms. Along with Pradip Kishen at the helm, the cocktail is achieved with delightful ease and is a breezy proposition for the sampler.
The less said about the narrative the better for that is best left to the viewer for his / her own discovering and viewing pleasure. Labels can add their weight to a movie and become a burden but I am tempted to say that this is easily the finest among campus or hostel life movies made in India. The only competition I can think of must come from Rockford. Unlike Rockford though which has a devoted following among movie buffs and Star Movies enthusiasts, this one seems to have gained in obscurity over the years. Sadly, that means people have and will continue to miss out on a gem.
There are many aspects that commend themselves to the movie. Arundhati Roy tops the list. She scores as a writer and as the quirky architecture student Radha (if she isn't playing herself, this is some performance). One triumph I should like to allude to is that her material here rises above the constraints of time, place and context. This is a top architecture school for sure but it could be any elite Indian institution. The year is stated as being 1974 but change it and only the outfits and the cultural influences change. We are more aware of opportunities today and a globalized world has changed the way we perceive our lives and careers but if this movie can be taken at face value, our attitudes as students have undergone very little transformation, if any. Also, given her journalistic ambitions, she could have very well taken a potshot or two at what transpired during the Emergency. Her restraint in all these quarters serves the movie very well. This freedom from time and place is a strong suite of the movie. Roshan Seth is well, Roshan Seth. He revels as Y D 'Yamdoot' Bilimoria, the post-colonial elitist dean of the institute. A competent cast including Arjun Raina as Annie Grover adds to the proceedings. Amazingly, Annie's character sketch isn't merely piggy-backing on Ayn Rand's Howard Roark. Tellingly, Roy denies him Roark's uncompromising obduracy making him more of a vulnerable character to the bulwark that is an institution. In the process, Annie is also more endearing and comes across as a bit of quixotic dreamer.
For anyone wishing to engage in a trivial pursuit, there is also the matter of Shah Rukh Khan in a miniscule role during his pre-Circus days.
Written by Arundhati Roy and featuring her as well, 'In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones' is a slice of student life at the fictional National Institute of Architecture in the mid seventies. In a way, it foreshadows the significance hostel life and elite education would have in India in the years to come. Especially the former. However, that isn't Miss Roy's intent here. As is evident, she sources from The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand), draws from her School of Planning and Architecture experience, peppers the scene with 70s counter-culture and makes room for her own observations and witticisms. Along with Pradip Kishen at the helm, the cocktail is achieved with delightful ease and is a breezy proposition for the sampler.
The less said about the narrative the better for that is best left to the viewer for his / her own discovering and viewing pleasure. Labels can add their weight to a movie and become a burden but I am tempted to say that this is easily the finest among campus or hostel life movies made in India. The only competition I can think of must come from Rockford. Unlike Rockford though which has a devoted following among movie buffs and Star Movies enthusiasts, this one seems to have gained in obscurity over the years. Sadly, that means people have and will continue to miss out on a gem.
There are many aspects that commend themselves to the movie. Arundhati Roy tops the list. She scores as a writer and as the quirky architecture student Radha (if she isn't playing herself, this is some performance). One triumph I should like to allude to is that her material here rises above the constraints of time, place and context. This is a top architecture school for sure but it could be any elite Indian institution. The year is stated as being 1974 but change it and only the outfits and the cultural influences change. We are more aware of opportunities today and a globalized world has changed the way we perceive our lives and careers but if this movie can be taken at face value, our attitudes as students have undergone very little transformation, if any. Also, given her journalistic ambitions, she could have very well taken a potshot or two at what transpired during the Emergency. Her restraint in all these quarters serves the movie very well. This freedom from time and place is a strong suite of the movie. Roshan Seth is well, Roshan Seth. He revels as Y D 'Yamdoot' Bilimoria, the post-colonial elitist dean of the institute. A competent cast including Arjun Raina as Annie Grover adds to the proceedings. Amazingly, Annie's character sketch isn't merely piggy-backing on Ayn Rand's Howard Roark. Tellingly, Roy denies him Roark's uncompromising obduracy making him more of a vulnerable character to the bulwark that is an institution. In the process, Annie is also more endearing and comes across as a bit of quixotic dreamer.
For anyone wishing to engage in a trivial pursuit, there is also the matter of Shah Rukh Khan in a miniscule role during his pre-Circus days.
