Movie Review – Tribeca Film Festival’s Road, Movie

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July 9, 2010
Movie Review – Tribeca Film Festival’s Road, Movie

Here at CitySaheli we love it when South Asian movies break out into the mainstream. So we were delighted when director Dev Benegal’s Road, Movie was selected for the Tribeca Film Festival this spring. There’s also some good news for those of you who missed the movie when it screened at Tribeca- the movie is available to watch through On Demand!

The film follows Vishnu (Abhay Deol) the restless son and heir to a struggling hair oil business. Vishnu’s disconnect from his family is severe and his longing to break away is palpable. He finally finds an escape when his uncle sells his ancient Chevy truck. Vishnu jumps at the opportunity to drive the truck across the country to its new owner. Armed with several crates of hair oil and his mother’s blessings, Vishnu sets off for his great adventure.

Set largely in Rajasthan, Road, Movie is visually stunning. Vishnu quickly picks up a cast of dynamic characters along the way- a young urchin, and, when the truck continually breaks down, a mystical mechanic named Om played by the excellent Satish Kaushik. Om agrees to fix the truck on the condition that Vishnu drops him off at an elusive fair. As the trio fight each other and worry over their dwindling food and water resources the film takes an interesting and original twist. Don’t worry, we won’t reveal it here, but suffice it to say that the film turns unexpectedly, darkly comic.

After being held up by police in a remote Rajasthani village, Vishnu and Om discover that in addition to being an antique truck, the Chevy also served as a traveling cinema. Reel upon reel of the greatest movies in Hindi cinema are discovered in the truck and Benegal’s love for the Indian film industry is readily apparent in the way he presents clips and glimpses of the Bollywood film stars of years past. If you are like us, you will rush to YouTube and/or your local desi movie store so that you can watch these classic cinematic scenes again. A particularly memorable scene involves the song Sar Jo Tera Chakraye from the movie Pyaasa. You can listen to the new version of the song here.

The film’s most mysterious character is the nameless gypsy woman played by Tannishtha Chatterjee. She is the movie’s catalyst, as she is the only one who can reach out through Vishnu’s alienation. Chatterjee’s natural singing voice is also in full display as she sings a beautiful Rajasthani folk song. Deol also shines throughout and it is truly a delight to watch his caustic, bitter Vishnu finally evolve into a compassionate human being. It is also wonderful to see the career character actor Satish Kaushik get the rich role he so deeply deserved.

All in all, Road, Movie is one of the most inventive and fresh new Hindi movies we’ve seen in a while. The next time you want to curl up by the air conditioner and watch a film during this heat wave, check this one out.