Welcome to Sajjanpur

After taking a break from direction for about 7 years, one of my all time favourite directors is back and this time with something different: a satirical comedy. 'Welcome to Sajjanpur' is such a joy to watch. It isn't an out-and-out comedy as there are elements of tragedy but the film feels refreshing and genuine. When most Hindi movies nowadays are set in foreign locations, 'Welcome to Sajjanpur' is set in a fictitious Indian village and it tells the humble story of the inhabitants of that village. I don't recall Benegal ever having made a comedy and here he succeeds greatly. The sharp writing consists of some hilariously witty dialogues, rich and sincere characters and laugh-out-loud situations. I enjoyed all the letter-writing sequences with the colourful characters. Benegal also cleverly presents themes such as politics, 'gay' rights and widow remarriage into the plots. The songs too fit well with the story although the dream sequence filmed on Talpade and Rao in an airplane is awkward.

The performances are splendid. Ila Arun and Divya Dutta are awesome as the conflicting mother-daughter duo. Amrita Rao is marvelous as the married village belle. Ravi Kishan finally gets to display his comic talents in a substantial role. Rajeshwari Sachdev is impressive in a small role. She's particularly funny in the scene where her father-in-law asks her to read the letter from Ramkumar. Yashpal Sharma is adequate. Kunal Kapoor thankfully only has a teeny role.

And, 'Welcome to Sajjanpur' is confidently carried by Shreyas Talpade, one of the most talented young actors of the current generation. Benegal's previous films indicate that he has an eye for talented actors and he has cleverly cast Talpade in the lead role. The actor delivers a finely balanced and very natural performance.

I can safely add 'Welcome to Sajjanpur' to my list of favourite films of the year and so far it is one of the best Hindi films of 2008. If you're looking for an something in the form of good entertainment, innovative storytelling with some interesting themes and good cinema, then this is that movie.

For a movie maker of the caliber of Shayam Benegal is, it goes without saying with his invite to Sajjanpur comes along a bouquet of expectations. The only other movie of his that I’ve seen is Zubaidaa and I was amazed at his story telling quality! This time, the setting is rustic with characters from a usual random village. The film is presented as a slice of life from the perspective of the protagonist than a story with a beginning and end.

Mahadev, the only degree holder in Sajjanpur nurses ambitions to be a novel writer someday, but fate has sealed him to writing letters for the illiterate village folk who come to him not just for his knowledge of the letter but also for his ability to write with that extra zing and passion that makes the letters work. Playing the protagonist, Shreyas Talpade gets the largest of movie pie that he executes with brilliance without going overboard.

Our writer’s clientèle takes us through the minds of the varied village folk. It ranges from his childhood crush Kamla (Amrita Rao) who writes to her far away husband, a mother (Ila Arun) worried about her vibrant daughter’s (Divya Dutta) horoscope, a compounder (Ravi Kishan) who is deeply in love with the young widow Shobharani (Rajeshwari Sachdev), the villainous ex-Sarpanch Ramlal (Yashpal Sharma) and a Eunuch too.

The next couple of hours, which at times feels somewhat stretched, give us a glimpse of their lives. Mahadev is good at heart and does well to others, but he secretly tries to misread letters to Kamla thinking that he may have a chance if her husband went away. Ramlal tries his best to connive against the Eunuch Munnibai to ensure it doesn’t win the local elections. As is life, in the end, it’s happy for some sad for others.

Throughout the movie, its poignant moments are interspersed so delicately that you don’t feel any character being out of place. The best in my opinion is when Mahadev learns the truth about Kamala’s husband’s life, where Shreyas’ flowing emotions are so well portrayed. Then there is the scene of Munnibai getting a letter written seeking protection. For one, the music is not memorable and the seeming length may bother.

The characters of Sajjanpur are both simpletons at times and wise in the ways of the world when necessary. The movie makes a point on various serious social issues including land acquisitions for industrialization, struggle of the poor and fall into organ trade, widow remarriage, superstitions, job worry for the educated and many more. If you don’t mind the lack of typical stories and climaxes, this story is surely worth watching.

It's great to have Shyam Benegal back making films again. He's relaunched himself with a fairly light film, one that reminded me of another of my favorite directors of the 80s, Sai Paranjpe. Both Sai and Shyam are so good at capturing the quirks of village life, warts and all. Welcome To Sajjanpur actually does have some dark elements, but the director doesn't seem to want to ruin India Shining's cheery mood by dwelling on these too much. Be warned, a lot of the language in this film is Bhojpuri, especially the dialogs of Ila Arun. I missed a lot of her funny lines, but the Bhojpuri speaking people in the audience were laughing out loud. The performances of the actors were all great - Shyam is obviously good at casting. Don't know if this film is destines to run for long, so I'd advise everyone to go out and see it right away. Or you could always wait to see it on TV (UTV Spotboy movies make it to TV in 3 months) or buy the DVD (for Rs 50!).

Nice comedy set up completely in the rural India, with jokes that make good sense in the local dialect which should not be difficult to comprehend. Ace director Shyam Benegal has made a perfect movie, albeit quite different from the serious classics he has directed in the past. Shreyas Talpade as the aspiring novelist ends up being a scribe, and therefore has a peek into everyone's lives in the village. Ends up manipulating people's lives through letters, especially his love interest's. Quite a number of funny sub plots follow, and the humor doesn't let you feel they are getting too many to remember. A few melodious numbers add to the movie.

Oh, what a movie! I just finished watching it and I cant think anything bad about this movie. Actors, location, script, music and .... the tremendously talented director.

I cannot imagine how did Shyam Benegal turned such a simple rural story into such a entertaining masterpiece! Yeah, I have not watched much of his movies, which is kind of a sin, I know. But, now that I have seen this, I will surely watch all the others.

The story is about a mostly illiterate village, where our hero Mahadev (Shreyas Talpade) is an educated but unestablished person, who writes and reads letters for people. In this strange occupation, he meets several dimensional persons, such as a superstitious mother of an unmarried girl, an illiterate but benevolent politician, a do-gooder eunuch, a love-struck compounder and the most desired: his childhood crush who is waiting for her husband to come from Mumbai.

Mr Benegal skillfully displayed all of the grayish characters throughout the movie, including our hero. Though the main theme is comedy, the film slowly starts touching into your spines by resembling any of our lives, any normal Indian's life.

I could have gone describing the complete story, but I would really like you guys to go and watch the movie yourself, its like a fantasy story revealing itself slowly to be as normal as any other normal human being.

Kudos, Shyam Benegal.