Review : The Blue Umbrella

Rating : Above average(3.6/5)
Genre : Drama
Year : 2005
Running time : 1 hr and 30 minutes
Director : Vishal Bharadwaj
Cast : Pankaj Kapoor, Shreya Sharma

THE BLUE UMBRELLA : CAPTIVATING !

I remember reading Ruskin Bond’s “A Flight of pigeons” many years ago, and being totally immersed in the story. The film which was based upon it, “Junoon”, was also one of the better films of that decade. Bond also wrote the “Blue Umbrella” and although the two are very different stories, both still contain the unmistakable flavor of India, the realism, and the attention to detail, that characterizes Bond’s work.

The Blue Umbrella is set in the foothills of Himachal – beautiful leafy green broad plains, and hills and valleys where sheep graze. Life is lazy, the world is small, and peppered with tourists. In this small world, or village, however you choose to see it, lives Nandkishor, a tea-seller with a small shack on the street. Avaricious and tight-fisted, old Nandu covets the beautiful things he sees. He sells small eatables and toffees to the kids of the village on credit, and in return confiscates their beloved possessions. So when Biniya, a little girl from the village obtains a bright blue Japanese umbrella from some tourists in exchange for her bear-claw locket, Nandkishor immediately desires it. And he is not the only one – the local school-teacher’s wife Lilavati (she prefers Lily) wants it too.

Biniya however loves her blue umbrella and takes it everywhere with her. She won’t even think of parting with it, even when Nandkishore offers her tempting sweets and other goodies. One day as Biniya is herding her flock of sheep, she sets down her umbrella nearby and cannot find it later. She is bereft. Everyone professes ignorance; they even come console Biniya, but she is suspicious of Nandkishore . . .

This is a slow tale, built from the lives and situations of a specific group of people. It dwells on one happening – that of the theft of Biniya’s prized umbrella. And this theft, takes on momentous proportions; the entire film hinges on it. So well is the atmosphere of the film built up, that it seems quite natural that a blue umbrella should be the talk of the town, getting envious glances everywhere it goes with it’s proud owner. The film is very attuned to the story – they both share the same languorous gait; lots of little asides where we see hopping, skipping children, singing songs and generally frolicking. Things move slowly, and one gets the feeling that life takes it’s own lazy way around the village.

The characters have also been sketched out believably. Pankaj Kapoor, attired in his grimy sleeveless sweater and kurta-pyjama, is quite apt as the old, capricious Nandkishore. As expected, acting-wise he does an immaculate job . Little Shreya Sharma as the long-haired, salwar-kameez clad Biniya deserves accolades for her acting, since she portrays Biniya’s innocence and smarts very well. Even the smaller roles have been developed very well; Biniya has a believable mother who scolds her for exchanging her bear-claw locket, and a protective older brother.

This is touted to be a children’s film, but I would qualify it further by saying that this is film for older children – those that will appreciate the tumult caused by the loss of one’s prized possessions, and the symbolic play of greed and covetousness. Plus the slow pace of the film will not hold a young one’s attention for long. And in this age of instant gratification, it’s a little hard to expect little kids to appreciate Biniya’s happiness in life’s little pleasures (One wishes it were so). Older kids might (my older kid did) but that’s not a given. This film’s story if taken literally is quite dated and/or rural – prized possessions for most urban kids are not umbrellas. However the umbrella is symbolically significant, and it might only be an older child or adult who can decipher that.

This film was quite an interesting watch, in it’s look at desire and greed. Desire dwells everywhere, even in the heart of an old, spent, tea-vendor in a non-descript village. I would never have thought Bond’s short story as adequate fodder for a feature film, but in Bharadwaj’s talented hands, this story comes to life. It’s a simple tale told honestly, sans the usual vulgarity and melodrama, and well-worth the watch.