Tag: sid bhagvathula

directed by Sid Bhagvathula

One of the reasons why I’m happy to be writing this blog is that I have a chance to get in touch with independent filmmakers, who often have incredible stories to tell, about which I probably wouldn’t ever hear if I wasn’t a film blogger. Today I’d like to recommend you a story that didn’t catch my attention at first, but the longer I was watching, the more I was living it. We get to know Sebastian and Akanksha (Vibhu Kaushik & Shreya Ranjan), an adorable married couple that could definitely play in TV commercials advertising holidays for lovers and such. You know, a beautiful picture with two overly cheerful people. However, the paradise they’ve created gets destroyed when Akanksha loses their baby. From that moment, the couple has to deal with a horrible grief, which overwhelms them both. In fact, both need alone time to manage the pain themselves, which moves them away from each other. First thing that I definitely have to appreciate is the choice of the topic. Dealing with a miscarriage is often presented as a woman’s problem, yet both partners are usually struggling with the loss, each of them in a different way. Second, it shows the importance of strong relations in a relationship. I’m not a fan of those ready-written marriage vows, but one line speaks to me loudly – “for better and for worse”. And I believe that it’s the point a lot of people forget about or simply ignore because they are blinded by the current state and momentary chemistry. Searching for a good partner we should definitely ask ourselves whether we can count on them when things get critical. Unfortunately, even minding that we sometimes have no idea how the other person might react while dealing with something sudden and painful, so it’s actually the big mystery of relationships. It’s an incredibly complicated topic and I’m glad filmmakers decide to put a spotlight on it instead of creating another copy-paste romantic comedy where “they lived happily ever after”. Third, I’m a fan of non-linear timeline in films and here we’re jumping from the past to present and future, which makes the story more engaging. The only two things that bothered me a bit were the length of the film (slightly too long, yet I’m aware of the fact that in India it’s quite common, so perhaps it’s just my European perspective) and the storyteller/commentator. There’s a character that kind of explains you the plot as if you were watching a documentary or taking part in a lecture, which perhaps might help some viewers get the idea, yet to me it was unnecessary, because I prefer to understand stories in my own way. Still, if you’re looking for a production filled with harsh yet very real emotions, that’s something you might want to see.

My rating: 7/10
S.