Ship of Theseus

Review #2.

Ship of Theseus is a very different cinematic experience. It moves you, it makes you think about life in a different way. The characters, the narrative don't ever leave you. Anand Gandhi is definitely a talent to look out for.

There are three different stories. Each with a different plot but same destination. The first one brings you in life of a girl who had lost her eyesight due to cornea and does photography. The second one is about a monk who should have an organ transplant. And the third one is about a stockbroker who just had a kidney transplant.

The stories instantaneously connect with you. It's hard to decide which one of the three is the best. I would say the three altogether make one of the finest movies ever made in India. And it would not be wrong to say that it is the best Indian movie of the year.

The performances are very real. Specially Neeraj Sir. The direction and cinematography are exceptional.

At last, I would like to say that It is not a usual Indian movie. Go with your brains and you'll experience something you've never experienced before.

If one has got his/her basics in the right place, whatever is churned out (even if art) automatically scores good while transition from good to great is left to the creativity and imagination involved."Ship of Theseus" does exactly so and not only gets the basics right but also excels in each of them.With mind-blowing cinematography (How cud that be a DSLR?!!!!!), super-crisp editing,superb screenplay,superlative acting (Neeraj Kabi & Sohum Seth take a bow!!!!),music (that song in the monk story was simply amazing) and even comic reliefs there's not much room left for complaints. Now, coming to the gray area of creativity or whatever you call it, "Ship of Theseus" also scores (high enough) but may be not as seamless as its basics (off course IMO).The biggest positive that it has is not being either emotionally or intellectually manipulative.Its a treat to watch a film which is straight enough, with not much hidden in layers and yet so very subtle.Its left for the viewers to perceive once the film ends and continue the journey within.With so many chances that the director could have taken to succumb to push emotional epiphany he never compromises,not even in last reel.And once you know that the same man was involved behind "Kyunki Saas Bhi..." you understand what transformation/compromise(?) means as depicted in the film itself.To talk about drawbacks I found the film lacking in its background score.Not that the realtime sounds as in docu-feature style or absence of constant music is a problem.But more than often it doesn't do justice to the exemplary visuals or images that we see on screen.Those lash green grasses,the centipede movement,the array of photographs,the monk in white walking in rain or through huge sewage lines on both sides with black water flowing below-all of these scenes demanded some musical piece behind.The piece that would bind the film together.Also,of the three stories rather storeys only the first justifies the title while the other two are deeper and close.Yes,though it meets all regular and expected requirements, "Ship of Theseus" could have had a few more exciting requirements to its name.You can't complain,you can only wish and also wish more films like this gets a theatrical release and get the required backing (Thanks Kiran Rao).I am not sure whether this will be a life-changing film for all as selected by the Critics Circle,UK But as inspite of Neeraj Kabi,Aida El-Kashef,Vinay shukla,Sohum Seth and almost everyone else giving of Mr.Mehta (don't know the actor's name) that will stay with me for all as did the father in "A Separation", "Ship Of Theseus" also has every chance to stay with you for long.

Ship of Theseus is a movie which we need but didn't really deserve right now. A lot of things have already been said about it, so with the risk of sounding repetitive, however I'll try not to be so, here are some of my thoughts: 1. To begin with, Anand Gandhi has made an utterly brilliant movie. The honesty, genuineness, and intent of the director is clear from the word go which is a sheer pleasure to see in an Indian filmmaker.

2. Three stories - totally different to each others in terms of mood and narration, yet so well transitioned that you don't even notice it. Two thumbs up for the screenplay and editing.

3. Utterly brilliant cinematography, a visual delight which mesmerizes you and grips you with every scene and its details that is on the screen. After I exited the theater, I couldn't believe I watched an Indian movie looking so beautiful. In fact, I can go on and on about the imagery. Well done! 4. Superb dialogues (and the use of no dialogues) - At times, zen, and other times, so passionate that you feel like talking to your alter ego, just like, the conversations in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Even the humorous and satirical parts don't make you feel like they are used as punches, except a couple times maybe.

5. Acting - Top notch by the all three protagonists. Relatively good performance by the other actors as well. But the three main actors are so good you long to see more of them. And the sympathies and your connections with them find their peaks in the penultimate scene.

6. Only thing where I felt I had issue is that some scenes and conversations were finished in a hurry. While one talk about something so powerful in detail, it should be a complete conversation, whereas, at times, it appears a lot of important things were skipped (esp. in story #2). Though I didn't find too many things wrong with the conversations in story 2 and narrations in story 2 and 3, it looked to me that something was amiss, they could have talked a little more, and so on. The movie could have been even more powerful, given the premise and ideas it began with. Actually, the idea is itself so big and extensive that any less would feel like incomplete. Such as, writing about this movie in 140 characters. But I guess I shouldn't complain as it's a movie where it's very difficult to have such kind of narration as well as a speech as long as that of John Galt. Anyways, I am more than glad that such things were talked about in a movie made in India.

Bravo, Anand Gandhi and the team! I stood and clapped for you all when the movie ended in the theater.

Well, I'll keep this plain, short and simple. I have no clue why this film is rated so low. In my opinion this film is an exceptional piece of art. The director keeps you hooked on to the movie right from the very start. You might be left wondering what is happening here but as the movie reaches it's conclusion, you will be left mesmerized. Each story has its own moments, its own ideas. Each idea is so subtly and thoughtfully expressed, I was left spell bound.The overall experience watching this movie actually raises thoughts in your mind about the issues discussed so beautifully. I saw this one at a film festival and in my opinion, this was the best film in the fest. 10/10

Well,after waiting for a long time I went for the first show and the film shocked me.The film marks a new era in Indian independent movie making.Gandhi used three inter inter related stories to find some eternal questions of mankind like life and death,salvation,purpose of life,creation,beauty etc.All these questions came up through a blind photographer,a rigid monk and a stock broker.Brilliant cinematography and music set the right flow for the movie to reach its conclusion.I can tell you that after you will come out of the theater,the movie will make u think and will ask you for the answers of the questions it raised.Till then we can wait for some more good works from the director...my rating 8/10