Raincoat

The Gift Of Ghosh

William Sydney Porter aka O Henry, a master of surprise endings, is arguably the best short-story writer that has ever lived. But strangely, unlike the Kings and Grishams, his stories haven't been much accessible to the cinema-going audience. It probably takes a genius to recognize a genius. So enter Rituparno Ghosh- a nonconformist young director sans any apprehensions of clinging to established traditions. Mix this hot bundle of talent with the best work of the former, and what you get is a delectable piece of cinematic magic called 'Raincoat'.

'Raincoat' is a poignant story about the pretensions that we put on while affected with occasions that we prefer not to confront but want to. Manoj(Ajay Devgan) is in Calcutta in a desperate attempt to accumulate some funds from friends whose faces he doesn't remember- "It doesn't matter", says one of his close pal, "Even they must have forgotten what you look like". Manoj calmly replies that it does matter when he is the one asking for financial aid and they are the ones providing it! Such practical and nonchalant conversation between the characters is what separates this movie from the regular fare of Bollywood. Ghosh is a master at story-telling, and this movie is a similar exercise. The narrative thus smoothly takes Manoj to a visit at his childhood love and now married Neerja(Aishwarya Rai). On a rain-soaked afternoon of Calcutta, a meeting between two estranged lovers is the crux of this movie. Stagy? Yes. Tedious? Maybe, depending on your taste(don't come to see this after having watched 'Dhoom'). Uneventful? Definitely not! 'Raincoat' is anything but run-of-the-mill. Never in the history of Bollywood cinema(and it's a long one) has there been a story told with such serene meditation. The encounter between the two principal characters is a study in human nature. Both Manoj and Neerja are in a state of derelict. But both make attempts at concealing this from each other. Their façade is not so much a show of pomposity as much a sacrifice that they are willing to make just to ensure that the other person isn't bothered with their own condition of ruins. So while Manoj plays as a successful TV serial producer, Neerja makes stories of her grand lifestyle with servants, chauffeurs, an ever-touring husband et al. Ghosh succeeds at making their dialogues at once, both comedic and dramatic. The thin line between humour and pathos slowly begins to vanish until they absorb into one.

Credit goes to Ghosh for his ingenuous style and attention to detail. In my review of Swades, I had written that Gowariker managed to create a picture of India because of his attention to detail. Well, Ghosh does pretty much the same thing, albeit at a micro level. Whether it is Manoj's ignorance to using a cell-phone, Neerja's biting on her chain or the casual way in which her bra-strap shows- Ghosh splendidly achieves capturing mannerisms. Also note the credit titles which rechristen cinematography as image and editing as montage. Novel and a masterful stroke! 'Raincoat' is furthermore about wonderful performances. Ajay Devgan in the past three years has portrayed memorable characters(Company, Gangaajal and Raincoat) and with 'Raincoat' he emphasizes once more just how comfortable he has become with the camera. Here is an actor who essays roles without ever allowing the camera to catch him unawares. Aishwarya Rai has always been a director's actress. Like Bhansali, Ghosh manages to extract from her a perfect balance of poise and restlessness. The fact that her character basically plays out her part also helps. And finally this movie review will be incomplete without the mention of one Mr. Annu Kapoor. Kapoor plays his part of a landlord with such effortless ease that he reminds us of what a great talent he is and how we have wasted him. There was another Kapur this year that made us do the same thing- Pankaj Kapur in Maqbool. Due mention must be given to Bishwadeep Chatterjee's work on the sound and Shubha Mudgal's vocals in the background. One can argue that she could have been used with more discretion, but that will tantamount to nitpicking! 'Raincoat' is an elegiac tale told with earnestness- Ghosh's gift to an intelligent audience. Watch it and be overwhelmed.

Rating- ****

* Poor ** Average *** Good **** Very Good ***** Excellent

Well, Now, I've heard about this film before, but, I didn't rent the movie all these days thinking that it would be a melodrama booh booh kinda stuff. But, really speaking, after I've finished up this film, I really can't help thinking about the movie for a long time, without sleeping. Easily, I can say this is one of the best ever romantic dramas I've ever seen.

Speaking about romance, this is not the kinda stuff we see in movies from Yash, Aditya chopra and karan johar. These movies have an artificial type of romance, unseen normally in real life (unless u r a millionaire or a business man and u have all Ur life to go to states and fall in love). But, the kinda romance shown in 'Raincoat' belongs to the other type. Just imagine, U had a love during college days, and it gets broken. She (or for that matter, he) gets married to someone else, and, after many years, u just happen to visit the house of your love on a rainy afternoon. What will you do? That is Raincoat. The romance here belongs to a more matured type. The respect and passion both lovers have towards each other, even after many long years, has been excellently portrayed here.

Also, there is a sudden twist to the story almost half way through the film. It is this twist that makes the film more interesting and passion-filled. From this moment on, the film takes a new form and fills the heart of the viewer with emotion.

Almost entirely, the film features only Devgan and Aishwarya. The background score supports the film very well and has been superbly composed.

If u find time for a good movie and if u want to see some good performance, take this film and see it. U won't regret . . .

This was a brilliantly done movie, I am very pleased to see that the director and crew managed to make a well written story into a wonderful movie in under two hours, when most Hindi movies are close to 3 hours and yet still can't portray something of substance. They took a wonderful story by O Henry and gave it a very modern, yet still touching outlook. I enjoyed it very much. The story was told very simply and to the point without any ornate embellishments. This was probably an overlooked gem, but I would recommend this movie to anyone from anywhere. Aishwarya Rai shows once more how talented an actress she is, but she had a lot of help from Ajay Devgan with his brilliant performance as well.

I'll try my level best to portray a "NO SPOILER" review of this movie, although its hard to do so. THE REACTION : After watching this movie, one can easily differentiate two categories of viewers of current Hindi films. There would be the people who get into the theater to relax, eat pop corns and then watch performers in some colourful bands which, like all other pieces of modern art, fail to convey any meaning. Sadly this movie is not for them and if you fall under this category, abstain yourself from watching this movie, for this movie is made for the people who love to use their brains and senses while watching movies. THE "PLAYERS" : Both Ajay and Aishwarya did a very good job in their respective roles. The way that they added a touch of glory to the non-glamorous roles is worthy of praise. But the real "player" was the director who added so much significance to the two characters of the landlord(Annu Kapoor) and The Friend's Wife(Mouli Ganguli) who share a small fraction of screen time each. The short conversation with the landlord and the last dialogue of the male protagonist with his friend's wife is worth a thousand praises. THE TITLE : The rain, the darkness, the mystery all set the tone of the movie. And through the darkness the viewer can actually see the invisible raincoat both of them are wearing to protect themselves from each other discovering what they both want to hide. THE SUBTLENESS : Nothing in this movie has been explained by the director, nor is there an attempt to do so. The boasting dialogues between the two protagonists has loads of softer emotions packed underneath. The viewer has to actually pay attention to the details in order to appreciate the work of the director. Also, the viewer's expectation of a climax is gradually ruled out which eventually turns out to be a very positive thing about this movie, thus giving it what is called a "Repeat Value". THE DRAWBACKS : Apparently there is none. It is not a movie, but a piece of art and the director made it his way - No crappy songs, no running around the trees, no hypothetical and imaginary situations. I'll give this movie 9/10 for the sheer brilliance of the director.

I bought the soundtrack in India last month and fell in love with the music. And I finally saw the movie today........wow. I can't believe this is an Indian movie! Don't get me wrong, I love many Bollywood films, but let's face it, there's a formula. There's no formula in Raincoat. To explain in more detail: There's no dancing. Ashwarya looks pale and sullen not her usual drop-dead gorgeous. Most of the movie takes place in one room, so if feels like it was written as a play. And lastly, the pace and style seems very French in that the plot is deep and is revealed slowly.

Because an Indian film managed to do all this, I have to give it a 10. It's definitely in a league with great European films. But it's not better than great European films. The only weak point is Ajay Devgan's lack of expression in certain scenes. His dialogue reveals a man who is at times innocent and gullible, yet at other times he's an adroit liar. His facial expression only fit the latter. Annu Kapoor almost steals the movie away from him.

Ashwarya proves she can act in this film, and I applaud the director for giving her this role. Could any other young star have done any better? No. (But wouldn't Shabana Azmi have been magnificent?) See this movie if you love great films. Don't see it if you want to see a typical Bollywood film.