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I saw this film somewhere in late 80's or early 90's on TV. Those days DD (Door Darshan, the one of the two TV channels in India) used to screen movies from different countries (which we term as World Movies today) at night after 11 pm. This particular movie was in some non-European language (later I found it was Cuban) and I had just followed the subtitles. In 1980s, there was no Wikipedia or rotten tomatoes to search for movies and neither I had access to IMDb, even if it existed in the 90's. Thus, I could not find the names of those movies, in absence of the critical search keys – Director, actor(s), origin and year of making. But the common qualities of all these movies shown on late night DD were intense drama on the plot, superior camera-work, excellent cinematography and vivid graphical scenes.Honestly, 20 years later I don't remember most of the movie names, except a few. The reason I remember some of the movies, with their plot lines, even some of the scenes is proof enough that they had a pretty long lasting effect on me. These movies had something in common.

•They had very strong connection with the socioeconomic situation of the country which the plot were based on. •They featured lot of outdoor scenes and used the local weather beautifully to depict the film's mood. •They contained abnormal/ harsh cruelty by characters that were forced by the situation. •They were truly unforgettable.

One of the movies I vividly remembered and carried for two decades without knowing the name. I have been looking for the title for the last 20 years. Its only recently I have discovered the movie and the world must know about this gem.

The movie was set on a grand palatial building where an affluent bourgeoisie family lived. The family consisted of ladies and gentlemen of various ages and a very old lady. There was a grand dining hall where all the family members used to dine together over elaborate spread of dishes, which looked like an exotic cuisine. The palace had large garden, huge fields of crop all around and it looked as if everything is eternally bright and happy. Somehow because of some a war or a coup, all servants, farmers and domestic helps fled the property and the food supply stopped suddenly. The family started starving. However, being too stubborn to ask for help from the villagers, they decide to grow crops on their own, but fail miserably. Initially they try having vegetable and leaves collected from the garden and make a meal out of it. As days passed they started looking shabbier, affected with dirt and hunger, but they continued their ritualistic family meals, though much humbled in terms of content and presentation. Gradually their human inhibition starts deteriorating as they started eating dead animals. The old lady, who gradually resembled like a scarecrow, tried to fight the birds from eating away the crops but she meets her brutal fate. It was understood that the inhabitants took advantage of the ailing or dying members to have their 'meals' in the same dining room. It was one of the dark and creepy satires I ever saw. The dining room scenes, the baroque style decor and their conversations were the key highlights of the movie with intense performances by the actors.

The Survivors is a fine dark satire. One of the most memorable cinema I have seen in my life. I wish they release the DVD of this film soon.

Before watching, I was intrigued by the title of the movie. The first thought that came to my mind that it must be a mountain movie with a political subtext. But it wasn't. The movie turned out to be much broader than that. The prime subject of the film remain as the people of Uttarakhand, their identity, aspirations and ambitions with the obvious backdrop being the picturesque Kumaon Himalayas. A simple tale involving an object of desire, a luxury sedan in this case, is then interwoven with earthy characters sprinkled with abundant 'pahadi humor' , a rocky version of dry humor tending towards malice. Some contemporary topics are part of this tale; education, television soaps and most importantly- identity of the people and their direction in life. The movie delves into few fundamental questions. What is achieved by creating a new state? Is such transformation, where girls aspire to be named as the much married bitchy TV serial women, kids walk and talk in English without knowing what they are learning, justified ? Where migrating to a big city is still the biggest aspiration ? Men gamble with cards and get drunk by sundown. How does this new state affect the people and boost their confidence ?

Bela, hailing from Uttarakhand, knows her roots, feels the dilemma and expresses it in cinematic medium. I have observed, when a writer directs a movie, there's always a lot of attention to detail. Daayen Ya Baayen would be a treat to the observant audience, to gather the subtle nuances of the characters, the slick coordination of certain sound and visuals to create a humorous note, the framing, dialogs and at times, silent expressions.

There are quite a handful of characters, each with their own idiosyncrasies and colorful traits. One of the most important aspects on this film is that it is also made with the local people. Other than three major roles (Deepak Dobriyal, Manav Kaul and Badrul Islam), all other characters are played by local actors and artistes. Reportedly, some of them have faced a camera for the first time. Large number of school students are featured in certain scenes and as I understand, shooting were conducted without any workshop or training. Ramesh's family members, especially his little kid (Pratyush Sharma) and his wife (Aditi Beri) sourced from the region seamlessly merges with the household and domestic brouhaha. The wife, particularly in the scenes of her 'outrageous housekeeping' antics is hilariously natural.

Deepak Dobriyal is simply brilliant as the protagonist. His acting prowess probably comes from his theatrical background. Deepak is a powerful actor. In this film, his character is a sublime combination of a poetic dreamer and an ambitious visionary, but unintentionally ending up being a loser or playing the jester. He teaches his son to hand stand, as that will facilitate blood flow to the brain. He makes poetry. He learns driving. He drinks country liquor. Still, he tries to impart basic values to his students and his son. He does it with intensity. This is undoubtedly, his one of the meatiest and finest performance on screen. His character is beautifully supported by Badrul Islam, a fan boy hopelessly sweet in his own way. Pratyush as Ramesh's son radiates lot of potential who reminds of the kids in Majid Majidi's films. This film too makes way for filmmakers who, while trying to entertain, are also willing to create meaningful content on realistic themes. While the movie is predominantly based on the people and societal culture of Uttarakhand, it talks about certain values, identities and aspirations which is identifiable beyond geographical boundaries. DyB deals with is much down to earth issues and materialistic aspirations, but with lighter mood. The tone of the film is bright and upbeat, and it never loses its humor even at its darkest point.

Though DyB is a low budget film, the production value is high. The cinematography( Dop Amlan Datta), costumes (by Nikunj Vyas), music are elaborate, well detailed and very entertaining. The magnificent locales, panoramic views, bright sunny days, winding hilly roads, vivid hues are all part of the captivating storyline, all captured candid which prevents it to become a documentary. There's a scene where, Ramesh with his son walks along the narrow stone steps and a rainbow shimmers on the horizon- absolutely stunning! The film is full of many such colorful occasions of happiness, sorrow and surprises. Arguably, films shot on picturesque mountainous locations are somewhat vulnerable to the landscape overpowering the characters. But it's the good director's panache to make them blend with the terrain, but to retain their own importance in the plot. Bela, is quite successful in achieving a fine balance between the characters and the backdrop, interdependent but collectively complete. The BGM by Vivek Philip is upbeat and pertinent with the visual setting. There's only one song, a spontaneous upbeat one, sung by Zubin Garg on which the entire village makes merry !

The narrative is simple, believable, straightforward and chronological. Though in the otherwise logical narrative, absence of mobile phones or a gas filling station does feel a bit conspicuous. Remember, the car plays the pivotal role (also to some extent literally, by the end of the film). While almost all aspects of the car and driving was captured in detail and expressed with much humor, one or two instances of gas filling could have been added, keeping practicality in mind. In another scene against sunset where Deepak leans against his sedan, quite looks like an advertisement, probably of a car. Otherwise the screenplay is taut and at places emotionally involving. The films takes it own time to develop the plot, which some may term as a slow start, but once Deepak takes the steering, there's no brake.

Overall, a high quality satire intelligently packaged within an entertaining cinema. Watch it, you may feel right after you've left the theater.