15 Park Avenue

After Mr. and Mrs. Iyer it's again Aparna Sen's take on so-called 'parallel' films, this time again with the same lead cast of Konkona Sen and Rahul Bose, both highly gifted actors. And along with them this time she's got the genius of Shabana Azmi. Now as far as the theme of the movie is concerned, I must say it is indeed very mature especially in terms of Indian cinema. It deals with a very common yet disturbing example of social problems. And Sen included many social clichés to make that flavor of this film complete. Though there are a few (romantic) subplots that I personally feel unnecessary.

I won't waste space discussing the story. It's better to dive straight into the film's analysis. Sen is indeed lucky to have a cast that deliver excellent performances altogether. Konkona is her usual natural talented self as the schizophrenic girl Meethi. After "Page 3" and this, it is quite clear that she's going to be one of those very few actresses who are remembered for a long time solely for their acting abilities. But Azmi is just magnificent as Meethi's tough and over-protective elder sister. Her performance is indeed worthy to be nominated for any international award. Rahul Bose, though appears in a much shorter duration of the film, does a perfect job as Meethi's love interest Joydeep. There are also fine performances by Dhritiman Chatterjee and Waheeda Rehman.

There are three minor drawbacks of this film, if I'm at all to discuss them. One is screenplay. Overall it's not bad, but should have been better especially when it deals with such a ripe subject. There are many places where the script lacked the necessary sharpness. And Sen sometimes seemed to forget that the characters are actually peoples of Calcutta. No Calcuttan, even when speaking English, refers to a taxi as "cab"; or the drug Diazepam is never marketed in India as "Valium" -- it's only a US trade name. Such examples only make the script appear a tad artificial. Two is background music. Well, it utterly lacked variation. Every time I paid attention to the background music it appeared as if some horror film is going on... even during Joy and Meethi's wedding. And three is the ending.

I heard many people who think that the ending is highly influenced by a famous scene in the film "Finding Neverland". I don't argue with them... in fact in a way they are quite right. I can only say that though the 'presenting fashion' of this ending is indeed similar to that scene, the substances of the two are hardly comparable as these two are completely different kinds of films. Even though I didn't like its presentation, I still think the ending (and perhaps only the ending) carries the best signature of Sen's creative genius.

A movie about Schizophrenia, an educational effort on the part of the director at times when most movie seem to be just about skin show. Konkana Sen is a Schizophrenia patient who lives with her sister and mother. The movie is about how the family tries to cope with this disease, while Konkana continues to live in her delusional world. I would have given a 10 to this movie if not for the ending which seemed pretty pointless. Without letting in on the ending, I must say that I do not see the point of having an ending which forces the viewers to try and understand what actually happened in a movie..15 park avenue ended up being a movie like that. I would not call such an ending intellectual, just plain lack of insight on the part of the director, or whoever was responsible for the ending, to realize that the audience would like to know everything when seeing with a movie that deals with such a sensitive topic. That said, Shabana Aazmi,Rahul Bose, Konkana Sen and Wahida Rehman are a delight to watch in the movie. Acting can never be an issue in a movie with Shabana Aazmi and Rahul Bose. I just wish that the end was different. It was the ending that let the movie down a bit. However, still a movie with such an excellent director and wonderful actors should be seen.

Aparna Sen casts some great actors for this wonderful fantastical story of perception which conveys the many ambiguous faces of the human cognitive mind and imagination. 15 Park Avenue is an appreciable effort, but not fully realised, with several aspects seeking to be explored a little more. The fact that it was shot entirely in English is also quite a mystery, because it automatically makes much of it look unnatural. That said, the film is very entertaining, very slick in terms of cinematography and production, and brilliantly acted. Needless to say, it is Konkona Sen Sharma who steals the thunder. Sharma dazzles as Meethie, erasing everything she is and disappearing into the role to deliver a disturbingly convincing performance which is one of the most impressive of our times. She is just mind-blowing, dominating her scenes with amazing intensity and wavering between comic and entertaining, and moving and unsettling. It's sad that such a brilliant act was hardly noticed. Waheeda Rehman is as good as one would imagine her be, but Shabana Azmi, and I can't believe I'm saying this, is probably the weakest link. This is one of her least impressive performances, and much of it might be due to the English dialogue, which took its toll on one of the greatest actresses of Indian cinema. She often seems to be too cerebral, too thoughtful, and as a result, not very relatable. Rahul Bose and Shefali Shah provide good support. 15 Park Avenue is an interesting and well made picture which could have been better, but the performance of Sen Sharma makes up for many of its flaws.

If you repeat a lie enough number of times will it become the truth? 15 park avenue is the story of an alternative reality of a schizophrenic (Mithi). The movie is about her search for her home at a fictitious address where her imaginary husband and 5 children live. Aparna Sen delivers yet another masterpiece. Each and every actor of the movie was better than the other. Konkona Sen looks unbelievably convincing as a schizophrenic. She pulls off the role with such ease and maturity beyond her age. Shabana Azmi is incredible as usual. She plays the dominating and fiercely independent elder sister of Mithi who takes care of her ailing sister and aging mother. She refuses to accept that in-spite of all her strength and courage, she still feels lonely at times. This should have been a very easy movie for Rahul Bose. The role was least bit demanding and anyone could have done the role.

The ending of the movie was the most surreal part of the whole park avenue experience. It took me a while to digest that the movie had ended. It left me confused and maybe even a bit disturbed. But later on, it started sinking in. My eyes are black. But if everyone says they are blue, will I still believe that its black??!

Boasting of a host of talented cast and one of the most acclaimed filmmakers, 15 Park Avenue takes us to a dark philosophical journey. It's about a young schizophrenic lady, her intellectual sister, her ex-fiancée, her mother and the people surrounding them who are looking for only one thing...something they can never find. Konkona Sen Sharma is without any doubt the most talented actress of today's generation. Her portrayal of the schizophrenic Meethi is so realistic (more so than that of Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind). Shabana Azmi is always dependable and here too she is fantastic, as is Waheeda Rehman who plays the helpless mother, Rahul Bose and Shefali Shah. The film takes place in India and Bhutan and the cinematography adds more to the mysteriousness of the world these characters live in. The film is open to interpretation and I have my own but I won't mention it as you should have your own view. I strongly recommend all to watch this wonderful movie.