Avis des utilisateurs

Drishti is Govind Nihalani's take on modern marriage. The film presents a critical commentary on the institution, its pros and cons, its inability to last without active maintenance, and the difficulty involved in sustaining a relationship, which is forever fragile and prone to damage, miscommunication, and infidelity. In this film, the art of maintaining the passion in your marriage appears almost inhuman, with hints at what seems to be a basic view that monogamy is not a very novel idea after all, at least not among educated, progressive couples. Nikhil and Sandhya are the married couple in our story, and they are indeed educated, affluent, career-oriented, and highly sensible. Their marriage is never a compromise, it is a mutual interest out of pure love even if hardships come along the way. That said, even in spite of that appearing as a strong enough foundation, it is not stable, and they are not necessarily the ones to blame. While I'm not sure I completely agree with Nihalani's perception of marriage, he deserves credit for his excellent direction of the film in terms of both style and substance. He cares to always stay in a neutral position as far as his moral stand is concerned, and even if there is a message behind the story, it is always presented as an individual rather than universal story.

Clearly following the neorealist approach which had gained great fame through India's offbeat cinema more than a decade before, Drishti is, indeed, very, very realistic, impressively lifelike and highly atmospheric. The setting is authentic, and the photography is exceptional. The narrative style is very rare: it is mostly conversational rather than situational, with conversations presented in long takes uncovering the events. This makes the pacing slow, but Drishti remains consistently engaging, and a memorable cinematic experience. The first and main reason is that it really was beautifully shot - the camera work, the lighting, the window curtains blowing in the wind as Kishori Amonkar's voice plays in the background and the story unfolds in moments of transition, all make the film a visual treat. And secondly, many of the conversations are fascinating in their philosophical quotient, poetic tone, and everyday realism. I was, for one, very impressed by the casualty with which Sandhya shares with her friend her extramarital affair, how unashamed she is in her intention to keep it, and how indulgent she is in the conflict between loving her husband and not being prepared to dump the lover. Does it mean the marriage is at pieces? Or maybe her moral values are totally damaged? I personally think that both are correct, but some could see it as an individual story, never part of the marital problem but at best its outcome.

Dimple Kapadia's stunning, breathtaking beauty has never been photographed better or with more sensuality than in this film, which is quite a feat considering how naturally beautiful she is to begin with. Her beauty here is dazzling and almost angelic. Great portions of the film, starting with the film's very first scene, have the camera zooming in on her extraordinary visage, letting the whole gamut of emotions her character goes through register in her expressive eyes. On top of that, in what turns out to be a smart casting choice, it is not just that; while her charismatic, electrifying screen presence remains one of the film's prime assets, she ends up matching it with a truly raw, heartfelt and strikingly authentic performance. Her Sandhya is extremely vulnerable but incredibly strong at the same time; she is full of resentment but also absolutely compassionate, and even when she is broken, she is fast to recover and move on. In some scenes she outdoes herself and not for a second does she stumble into the realm of filminess. The great combination of her mesmerizing appearance and her sincere portrayal is quite reminiscent of the greatest leading ladies of world cinema from France, Italy and the likes, from Sophia Loren to Liv Ullman.

Shekhar Kapur, a great director in his own right, comes up with an inconsistent performance as Nikhil, although he does have his moments. It is not entirely his fault, because sadly we are never given an opportunity to see the story entirely through his perspective. But then, another highly convincing performance emerges through the character of Prabha, and it is to Mita Vasisht's credit that she is so real and easy to relate to. In fact, her acting is so good that it makes one lament that she never got a true opportunity in the film industry to further showcase her talent, barring some minor exceptions. Irfan Khan is also here, and while he is good in the role, his role is actually the most underdeveloped. The other third, Nikhil's lover, is never shown on-screen, and this brings me to what I consider the film's biggest flaw. I do appreciate Nihalani for not insulting the audience's intelligence by showing every tiny character, but at the same time, the film's play-like setting leaves many gaps and is a little incomplete in that regard. That Nikhil's lover does not appear in the film is really very problematic and leaves a lot to be desired. Even the relationship between Dimple and Irfan has less credibility and Nihalani should and could have delved more into the nature of their relationship. Despite all this, Drishti is a very engaging marriage story and overall, very enjoyable and appreciable as a film. A quality film, indeed.

Govind Nihalani's Drishti is totally Scenes from a Marriage. The male lead even looks and talks like Erland Josephson. The female lead can look as confused as Liv Ullmann. Nihalani infuses his characters with psychological struggles less complex than those of Bergman's, though not making them any less valid and cogent. The acting, obviously, is just as amazing.

The film is indeed beautiful to look at. Nihalani's compositions here are impressive, drawing out spaces that resonate with the alienation and breakdown between the couple. The interior shots, that take most of the film, are also remarkable in the use of various lighting sources and the ever flowing curtains. Also note the use of interiors versus open space that bring notable significance to the characters' mental landscape, illustrating the feeling of confinement and openness.

For anyone interested in films about marital discord, Drishti will satisfy, if not offering anything new. For anyone addicted to quality film-making, this is required viewing, especially when Indian art cinema is so buried underneath the country's overwhelming commercial films.

A terrible remake of Scenes From a Marriage. Try as hard as he would like to, Nihalani cannot absorb us into the movie like Bergman did. Bad direction, bad acting and bad story. Only the music is good. However I did like the character played by Vijay Kashyap, albeit it was very small. Shekhar Kapur is a bad actor, Dimple is pretty and tries to save the film but it is too much to ask of her. However, she too is unable to portray the complex nature of her character. There is no indication of her growing confidence and his sagging one. Both the artists have played out their parts in a draining monotone. Mita Vashisht is a much superior actor than Dimple.

The outdoor scenes of Mumbai do look great and it does not look like the same city. However therein lies the problem with these scenes. They are too unreal. It is downright impossible to be all alone in those places in Mumbai at that time. I understand that the director would choose to do it this way to ensure that the audience does not get distracted by the bystanders. However there are ways and means to shoot such scenes.

Don't bother with this movie, hire the original one instead. If that's not available, do yourself a favour and don't watch this anyways.