Laadli Laila

Short, spry and sharp-tongued, plucky Kalyan Singh (Raghubir Yadav) has sold all his land to marry off his daughter. All he has left is a dog-like little goat with soft black fur, whom he seems to love more than his sourpuss wife and lay-about son. When a local vet manages to get her into heat, Kalyan Singh sets off to the other side of the city to mate her to a fine billy goat.

Complicating things, however, is the fact that an important personage is coming to town for a rally, and the police have started setting up road blocks. Leading the docile, aristocratic Laila by a leash, he pushes his way past yellow-uniformed policemen who start rapping to scare him, and circumvents a group of political militants out to make use of him. His astuteness is to no avail, however. First the police and then his own family wantonly conspire to put an end to his dreams.

One surreal adventure leads to another in Nair and Jonathan Page's unpredictable, fantasy screenplay. Yadav is an extremely able actor who knows how to hold the limelight as he wanders through a magical kingdom that combines many flavors at once: funny and bizarre, fierce and sad.

This enigmatic little film confirms Murali Nair's unique vision of his native land, as he attempts to describe its joys and sorrows, hopes and tragedies all at once. Sandeep Patil's cinematography captures the incredibly bright colors of south India in a joyful spirit that echoes the costumes and music.

Venue: Abu Dhabi Film Festival (Competition) Production companies: Maya Films Unlimited, Les Films DE l'Etranger, ZDF Arte Cast: Raghubir Yadav, Shiela Naidu, Saurab Gharipurikar, Purnima Maudgil, Archana Phadke Director: Murali Nair Screenwriters: Jonathan Page, Murali Nair Executive producer: Raad Ismael Producer: Philippe Avril, Murali Nair Director of photography: Sandeep Patil Production designer: Preeya Nair Music: Fardin Khalatari, Michael Makhal Costumes: Fatima Bilgrani, Noelie Charles Editor: Emiliano Batista Sales Agent: Unlimited Films 87 minutes

The plot of this film is an inspired take on Kafka set in a South Indian village. A poor aged farmer unsuccessfully tries to have his goat mate and produce an offspring but loses his mind in the process. He sets out on a long surreal journey to take his goat to a farm in another village and is blocked by some rally that is taking place there. Raghuvir Yadav proves that he is on top of what he does and plays the role of the farmer with chilling sincerity. The film doesn't bog you down with tragic details and keeps you entertained throughout the lengthy parable. It has strong religious overtones and some nudity, though it's not overtly sexual. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes sensitive cinema. With low production cost and minimal sets the director has created a touching masterpiece.