Manasarovar

A rare stroke of luck from a film is this brilliantly cast and staged by director Anup Kurian. There was plenty of wry humor, pathos, and atmosphere to keep any thoughtful viewer interested. What makes this film a masterpiece is the direction of the film and style of storytelling, more than the story also the fine acting of the three principle actors, who held your eyes and attention every time they were on the screen. The kind of conversations between the characters reflected reality yet projected here in a purely cinematic fold. Neha Dubey as Malathy Chandran gives a performance which is layered and complex. She uses her facial expressions a lot to signify a change in her mood. It is not possible for the viewer to not care for her and her plight. Atul Kulkarni captivated with his most expressive face. The director allowed the actors to slowly change before your eyes, as gradually as if it were real life. There was such an organic nature to this film, it really felt lived-in. It was beautifully filmed and framed the actors effectively, so you were aware of their humanity, not their physical scale. There are shots that are so beautiful to look at that they can be easily framed and hung on the wall. The music is wonderful, including the score by David Prahl, Lisa Stanislawski and Craig Leininger. Yes an argument can be made that certain convenient adjustments are made in the screenplay to arrive at an ending which would have been acceptable for the audience of the time, but personally I didn't have a problem with these adjustments because of the way Anup kept using artistic visual flair to execute them. This is genuinely a masterpiece rich with feelings, emotions, social commentary and visual artistry. An absolute must-watch, if you don't love it, then check for a pulse.

Manasarovar was shown at the Kolkata Film Festival, in November 2005. The hall was full to capacity. Throughout the screening you could feel that the audience fully identified with the characters in the film. There was a psychological symbiosis. Why? Modestly, yet effectively, Manasarovar tells a story of young India and of her quest for answers to questions regarding life and love. "What do you want to do with your life? and "How come you are not married?" ask both George and Ravi. "I don't know," replies Malathy.

Through a long interaction, Malathy and Ravi dispel the clouds in their minds and arrive at clarity of vision. Not yet, perhaps, the purity of mythical lake Manasarovar, but they journey towards it. The lake remains an unattainable goal: what matters is to keep running up the hill of life.

I heard about the movie in 2004 when I was in school .Movie got recognised across the globe in various film festivals.After a lot of struggle got the DVD (still available to purchase the DVD in the movie official website) in 2012 .

Movie is about the relationship of three individuals.How they are connected by destiny.i don't want to reveal anything else about the movie.Its a unique experience. A small and cute love story clubbed with some awesome performances by the likes of Atul Kulkarni,Neha Dubey and Zafar karachiwala. even though a small budget venture it is beautifully cinematographed such that you will fall in love with the places .Be it Pune , Kerala or Kailash or Himalayas shown in the climax. If Indian English movies are your cup of tea , this will be the best experience you can get.

Debutant director Anup Kurian traces most exquisite relationship 'love' against the brilliant backdrop of picturesque landscapes shot in the magnificent locales of Kerala, Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh. Debutant cinematographer Viswamangal Kitsu has successfully painted the perfect picture in celluloid what exactly Anup wanted to draw in this classic love story narrated extraordinarily with a unique style of story telling. George Nair (Zafar Karachiwala) comes to Pune as a management consultant to advice restructuring of a publishing house. Here he meets the vibrant vice president of the company Malati Chandran (Neha Dubey). As the story unfolds Malati appears to be the girl, whose unrequited love compelled George's brother the environmental engineer Ravi Roy (Atul Kulkarni) disappear. Much of the story is in flashback as it unfolds through many letters that Ravi and Malati wrote to each other. The film ends on a philosophical note keeping the story open ended and thus giving the viewer a lot to think. The narrative is always very smart due to intelligent editing by Unni Vijayan. Brilliant performance of Atul Kulkarni as a young, highly educated, spirited Keralite who prefers to work as a consultant from his picturesque village in Kumarokam is unparallel. Though in English, but the film speaks about India in such a poetic style that the viewer of any country, culture and language could realize what a harmonious life co-exists in India. It is a love story that ends before it begins.

This a wonderful and beautiful movie! The characters are so good and believable. Anyone, the world over, can identify with the situations, questions and dilemmas faced by the main characters. They even include a recipe! The scenery is gorgeous too. It is set in South India but the story takes the characters around India, making the scenery even more beautiful and enticing. I wish there were more films like this and which were more readily available to a larger audience. I highly recommend this film it is for everyone! Those from Kerala may be particularly interested and will want to see more work from this director. Karen