Road, Movie
wogma rating: Add to 'must watch' list (?)
Road, Movie takes you into a reverie. And you know not if you have walked in at the beginning, end, or the middle of the daydream. You laugh because you don't understand what's going on. You feel sorry because you know the distraught water situation of the country. But is water just a metaphor for the various issues plaguing our society. You interpret and so will I.
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Road, Movie is another one of those few films that take a while to sink in. One in which most of the audience comes out laughing because they haven't a clue what just transpired in there. Yep, I didn't understand the film, its purpose, or the characters. But, it aroused enough curiosity. And make me think. Not necessarily about the issues raised by the film, but what the film was trying to say. Yeah, it is that kind of a film. In fact, if it were not for the absolutely spell-binding cinematography, I'd have suggested a wait till it's on TV/DVD. One needs to develop a palate for such films, and I'm still not one who can appreciate such narration completely.
So what is all this absurd, bizarre talk about. The best way to tell you is as is. And there's hardly any worry of giving the movie away, because it is so open to interpretation. The stage is set with a truck carrying reels and reels of films and the mechanism to play it in an arid, rugged, barely inhabited desert. Water is more precious than oil. Oil is more abundant than water. And despite this basic need people have their aspirations and dreams. And well their dreams come true, in their dreams. Or something like that. :D
And these dreams have been picturized beautifully. Of course, in an abstract way. It's difficult to explain and it's difficult to digest too. Not to mention that it's easily graspable in the first place. Ok, I don't mean to scare you. It's just that going in knowing that the film is about hope and accomplishment but has a dark and enigmatic tone, might help.
Given all the ambiguity, I needed to care for someone, for at least one of the four characters. Ok, I wanted them to find water to quench their thirst, but so did I want the other women walking miles together in the desert sun to find water. I couldn't care more. The characters were pretty flat, except for Vishnu (Abhay Deol). But then Vishnu isn't a person you would care for. You could hate him, if you wanted to spend that kind of energy.
I'd say that the Abhay Deol followers are the ones who will be keen to watch this film. Not for him per se, but more for his choice of films. And this one is less likely to disappoint that part of the audience. He doesn’t have way too much to do. And the part he needs to play, as always, he uses his eyes and expressions more than his body language. Satish Kaushik does a fairly entertaining job, but then that's more because his character is sort-of the sweet adorable types. Mohammad Faisal Usmani, the 10-odd year old, had too much of a smart-Alec kind-of a character for me to get interested in how he's played it. The lines given to him are rather annoying. Tannishtha Chatterjee, has a lovely screen presence. I completely fell in love with the song her character sings in the loneliness of the night.
Then there are those odd things that stick out. Nicely greased faces with only lips that are dry due to the heat. The background music is beautifl, just that it didn't feel like it went with the tone of the film, and thus stuck out. That too adds to the obscure atmosphere. Then there are people in the interiors having knowledge and presence of mind to use brands like "starbucks" in their daily language. And it's an intelligent film, so the line wasn't put in thoughtlessly. Does that mean the entire film is a dream of all the characters? phew
Road, Movie. An intentionally ambiguous film. A film very purposefully left open to interpretation. A deliberate attempt at making the audience yell, "what the…?!"
The lyrics of the age-old song take on a new meaning while playing as the credits roll -
Ya dil dooba jaaye
Aaja pyaare paas hamaare
Kaahe ghabraaye, kaahe ghabraaye
…
Sun sun sun, are beta sun
is champi mein bade bade gun
Laakh dukhon ki ek dava hai
kyon na aazmaaye, kyon na aazmaaye
(If your head is all muddled
Or the heart is sinking low
Come to me darling
Worry you not, worry you not
…
Listen to me dear, hear me out
This greasy wonder is very virtuous
A hundred thousand pains has one solution
Why don't you try, why don't you try?)
Seems like the makers are saying, if you don't understand, don't worry. Just watch films, enjoy them for what they are, it is the one solution to all your problems, no? ducking the brick
- meeta, a part of the audience
Thumbs up, by Roshni Mulchandani, Bolly Spice : ...What is really adorable and sweet about the film is the subtle way that religion and duty has been woven into the film.... full review
Thumbs up, by Daliya Ghose, Bollywood Mantra : ...Director Ashwni Dhir’s handling of the script is flawless... full review
Thumbs up, by full2faltu, Full2 Faltu : ...The dessert represent life with harsh realities and the search of water symbolizes search for happiness by every individual. ... full review
Thumbs up, by Jaya Biswas, IBN Live : ...The virile rust and brown frames look picturesque. ... full review
Thumbs up, indiaserver.com : ...movie if watched and compared with the Hollywood one it’s completely different though the concept is a bit similar... full review
Thumbs up, indiaserver.com : ...movie if watched and compared with the Hollywood one it’s completely different though the concept is a bit similar... full review
Thumbs up, Movie Talkies : ...The cast turns in an exemplary performance.... full review
Thumbs up, by Anupama Chopra, NDTV : ...The film is equally about both: The lure of the open road and the transformative power of the movies. ... full review
Thumbs up, by Ashok Nayak, Now Running.com : ...The story is good, has a good little twist in the end. ... full review
Thumbs up, by Chintan-Flying, Passion for Cinema : ...the movie is about a lost civilization of the rural India, which is getting more and more desperate and going away from the global India.... full review
Thumbs up, by Tejal Johri, The Tossed Salad : ...Road Movie has resulted in a short and crisp story with the perfect dosage of humour, thrill, sarcasm and reality rolled into one with a tad bit of cheeky fantasy to it.... full review
Thumbs up, by Nikhat Kazmi, Times of India : ...For, Road, Movie is no English, August. It's less engaging and low on story, although, the characters are rich and the canvas is colourful... full review
So-So, by Nikhil Kumar, Apun Ka Choice : ...Performances by Satish Kaushik as the garrulous, pragmatic and hardy mechanic and by Mohammed Faizal Usmani keep the interest alive... full review
So-So, by Deepa Gahlot, cinemaah : ...Inspired by Cinema Paradiso and probably Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures, plus Fellini’s images and Latin American magic realism, the film starts very well... full review
So-So, by Martin D'Souza, Glamsham.com : ...It's a film purely for the festival circuit, which has to be lauded for its execution, shooting in dry, parched locations, using a rickety truck as a prop... full review
So-So, by Pritam Roy, Gomolo.in : ...the movie fails to connect and build emotional bond with the characters.... full review
So-So, by Mihir Fadnavis, india.com : ...Abhay Deol is fine as the woefully ill-informed and too arrogant for his own good Vishnu, but he ultimately plays such an unsympathetic character that it is hard to feel anything for him... full review
So-So, by Gaurav Malani, indiatimes : ...Cameos by everyone from Jackie Shroff to Ajay Devgan are miserably misused. ... full review
So-So, by Kshitij Mehta, J.A.M : ...he screenplay is a little loose and the script doesn't hold too strong. ... full review
So-So, Movie Talkies : ...The story content here may be far from high, but the canvas that Benegal chooses is vast and fascinating. ... full review
So-So, by K N Gupta, SmasHits.com : ...everal weaknesses in the story, screenplay and synergy among the characters.... full review
Thumbs down, by Noyon Jyoti Parasara, AOL INDIA : ...The young kid who sells coffee at a road side stall and has probably never had a proper house to stay in talks about US coffee shop chain Starbucks... full review
Thumbs down, by Bobby Sing, Bobby Talks Cinema.com : ...right after the much publicized old truck comes in to the story, the film steps onto an escalator, slowly moving downwards.... full review
Thumbs down, by Taran Adarsh, Bollywood Hungama : ...caters to a very, very, very, very tiny section of movie-going audience, who have an appetite for 'festival films'. ... full review
Thumbs down, by Deepa Garimella, fullhyd.com : ...Though an expertly shot film, Road is ridiculously slow and pointless. ... full review
Thumbs down, by Mayank Shekhar, Hindustan Times : ...The landscape before them is an inescapably ‘Wim Wenders’ or ‘David Lynch’ vastness; unpopulated, unlimited, un-Indian -- soil and sand changes colours, cinema reels flutter in the wind….... full review
Thumbs down, by Mihir Fadnavis, india.com : ...Leena Yadav's direction is pointedly flamboyant while Aseem Bajaj's camera desperately wants to clone Dev D... full review
Thumbs down, by Gaurav Malani, indiatimes : ... But soon the Cinema Paradiso promise is cut short with the entire setup turning out to be a dream sequence... or rather a nightmare.... full review
Thumbs down, by Anupama Chopra, NDTV : ... But mostly, Atithi feels laboured and long.... full review
Thumbs down, by Ashok Nayak, Now Running.com : ...Road, Movie is a boring journey, with zilch entertainment value and well, just not something that would work with the Indian audience... full review
Thumbs down, by Subhash K Jha, Now Running.com : ...At mid-point director Dheer and his characters including the indefatigable Paresh have run out of steam.... full review
Thumbs down, by Jahan Bakshi, Now Running.com : ... Barely halfway into the film, Atithi already begins to show signs of turning into an often cringe-worthy, and thoroughly tedious and preachy drama that just goes on and yawn... full review
Thumbs down, by Padmaja Thokore, Passion for Cinema : ...Director Dev Benegal may have wanted to tell a story but it is difficult to detect it in the slow, rambling unfolding of the narrative, inane dialogues, disparate and unremarkable events and an indulgent pace.... full review
Thumbs down, by Sampurn, real bollywoood : ...Abhay Deol does a fine job and gets into the skin of his character. He is completely in synch with the mood of the film.... full review
Thumbs down, by Raja Sen, Rediff : ...The writing is clever, yet the dialogues frequently disappoint, clearly having been translated literally from smart English lines. ... full review
Thumbs down, by Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Reuters : ...The premise of the film and its execution are pretentious to the core.... full review
Thumbs down, by Sonia Chopra, Sify Movies : ...Dev Benegal’s (English August, Split Wide Open) Road, Movie is a technically accomplished film with a lively background score and moody cinematography.... full review
Thumbs down, by K K Rai, STARDUST : ... Satish Kaushik, who plays the character of a wandering mechanic, does impress with his witty one liners and interesting characterization.... full review
Thumbs down, by The ThirdMan, Upper Stall : ...The rest of the technicalities are just about so-so. With its slow pace, even the 95 minutes running time gets to you. ... full review
Thumbs down, by SpiceZee Bureau, Zee News : ...The film is slow-paced and the screenplay is bland, lacking basic level drama... full review
Twitter reviews for this movie are not available.
This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.
Plot Summary
Vishnu (Abhay Deol) takes off on a trip in a run-down truck through a desert. He meets people on the way.
What Worked
What nits do i pick in a dream? Everything is possible or nothing is, right?
Parental Guidance:
- Violence: A policeman brutally beating up an inmate.
- Language: Most abusive language silenced out.
- Nudity & Sexual content: One love-making scene. And a couple kissing scenes.
- Concept: That of a guy leaving his home just because he wanted to get out of there and following a dream?
- General Look and Feel: It has a very dark comedy kind of a feel.
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Comments (4)
this good.....i always hate how people can write so many words without actually giving out most of the story line......
I'm a big Abhay Deol fan...and was waiting for this one too.......yea, i'll watch it.....as the weekend is the coming.....
@Nisha like movie, like review
@Hitesh huh?
I like your writing skill. Nice!
Road is nice movie. I like Abhay deol.
He looks good and handsome.
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