Baarish Aur Chowmein

The film is entirely (not loosely) based on a malayalam short novel by renowned Malayalam Novelist Vaikom Muhammad Basheer. Yet, they didn't acknowledge him anywhere. Though the film is completely made justice to the original and very enjoyable, not acknowledging the original writer is an offense from the makers!

Based on a short story, the film itself feels like a short story. A short story gives you a feeling of incompleteness in it's completeness. You'll feel something is left to be said, something is undone. Yet you don't feel discontent. This film gives you that feeling. The feeling of reading a good short story.

In it's short span of 48 minutes it created some wonderful moments which couldn't be achieved by so many two to three hour long movies. It criticised society's view on minority muslims in a single sequence bravely and subtly. It adressed the problem of patriarchy and the resistance against it from Neelu in a single conversation. The film is not loud, subtle yet strong, romantic and beautiful just like it's name.

Taapsee acted beautifully. Amit acted well too. The music is corresponding which is needed from the music department. It doesn't have to be extraordinary or excellent. It has to be corresponding. Direction, script, casting, acting, music, cinematography, editing, lighting, color correction everything the whole film was right in It's place, not scattered, not monotonous, not ambitious, not trying to be something it's not.

An honest film, 'Honesty' which I consider the most essential condition for any art. A well made film like a beautifully written short story.

This is an excellent example of an old literary work adapted to a contemporary film. The film is based on the 1943 Malayalam novelette 'Premalekhanam' by Vaikom Muhammed Basheer. The premise is shifted to Mumbai, and the castes of the protagonists have been changed from Hindu and Christian to Muslim and Hindu, which seem quite relevant at this era of 'Love Jihad' and 'Love Kurukhsetra' allegations. The film stays true to the original, and at the same time doesn't lose its freshness. As a person who has read the original work and the 1985 Malayalam film (a lousy attempt) based on the book, I still found it to be earnest and well made. The performances from the lead pair are pretty neat, and the technical side is all right. Another point to add is, thankfully we got platforms like Netflix, Zee5 and other such streming services where a film can be launched irrespective of its length. For instance this film is only 48 minutes, and in the absence of such platforms the director would have been forced to stretch the film to at least 90 minutes, to make it a feature film for a theatrical release. This happened with the 1985 Malayalam version, which had unnecessary sub plots and killed the charm of the original story. Overall it is an earnest remake, relevant to the current times. It would've been more appreciable if the director and his team acknowledged the original work at least during the end credits.

Please watch only if you can tolerate anything. Tag included suspense and frankly doesn't have an iota of suspense.

I watched Baarish Aur Chowmein on Zee5 in orig. Hindi with Eng. Subs.

This is a delightful and light narration of a gradual romance building up between a PG tenant from UP: Suresh (Amit Sadh) and the landlady's daughter Neelu (Taapsee Pannu).

Suresh is actually Siraj who came from Lucknow to Mumbai to take up a job at the museum. Because he faces difficulty as a Muslim in getting a rental space, on the advice of his broker, he calls himself Suresh. In reality this is a problem faced by many and not just in Mumbai : Muslims, bachelors, single women.

The Maharashtrian landlady's family become good friends with Suresh and he is soon attracted to the feisty Neelu who works in the film industry as a chorus dancer. The friendship between the two gradually develops into a romance and Suresh discloses to Neelu that he is infact Siraj, asking her to marry him. Neelu had already discovered long back that Suresh is a Muslim. The inter religious relationship angle is gently portrayed. Watch the film to see how it all pans out ...

The narration is engaging throughout. Amit Sadh is good as Suresh/Siraj (much better than in the Breathe series). Tariq Naved Siddique is convincing as Bhattacharya, Siraj's colleague at the museum. The little boy who plays Neelu's brother is also good as is her step father and all the other characters. Taapsee acts well as Neelu but her diction lets her down, somehow Taapsee sounds like a North Indian not at all like a Bambaiyya speaking Mumbai Marathi mulgi. She could have worked on her Bambaiyya diction more, though she is otherwise a good actor.

Overall, Baarish Aur Chowmein is a pleasing and watchable film.