La forteresse

There are many pieces of art that touch your heart, but only some of them can hit you personally, make you feel that whatever happened to you is universal – that something can be intensely personal and shared at the same time. Killa is the latter – a fine piece of art made with such loving attention to detail that hits and stings your heart.

Made by cinematographer Avinash Arun, this national award winning film is a moving tribute to parenthood and coming of age. A story about how a single parent is transferred from the bustling city of Pune to a small sleepy town Guhagar with her 11-year old son Chinmay. A widow – she struggles to come to terms with the loss of her husband and is always questioning her parenting; a child who has just lost his father – Chinmay is grappling with his own issues of abandonment.

A new place, new school, new friends – all Chinmay wants to be is accepted. Not that he realizes that. What follows is his personal discovery of friendship and himself. A tale of realizing that sometimes, it seems like the world is coming to an end, but it's not. Of realizing that true friendship has its way of coming back to you. Of realizing that the first big heartbreak in your life need not always be a romantic relationship, and being okay with that fact.

Killa is about that one moment that defines the end of childhood as we know it. That one moment that changes our perspective, is more often than not sad, but in all probability – makes us a better and stronger human being. Killa will resonate with anyone who has poured his heart and soul into the act of making friends and relationships; with anyone who can trace that exact moment in their life when someone broke the rose-tinted glasses they viewed the world with; with anyone who appreciates the power of silence over words that mean nothing.

Sensitive direction and gorgeous cinematography by Avinash Arun, fantastic performances by Archit Deodhar and Parth Bhalerao and images and moments that stay with you for a long long time after you've walked out of the theater, Killa is an absolute gem and another gem from the new wave of Marathi cinema that continues to impress and delight.

Another good film from India's 'indie' film movement.

A quiet, simple, sweet/sad portrait of an 11 year old Indian boy dealing with being uprooted from his big city home to a small seaside town after his mother is transferred. He feels like he doesn't fit in, but slowly starts to make friends and a life for himself, only to face various challenges to his equilibrium.

Not a lot happens -- this is more a film of mood and detail than of plot and action. Indeed, for a while I got frustrated waiting for the big dramatic shoe to drop before finally catching on that this wasn't that kind of film. Like real life, even the more 'dramatic' moments are unfinished and their impact unclear. The acting is generally very good, as is the photography.

Nothing that new, but still, a quietly haunting little film that captures the sadness and joy of starting to grow up with tenderness, empathy and gentle humor.

This movie has theme floating all around... primarily about what life has to offer is bizzare feeling..it's upon us to feel it in the right way. It deals with a single parent problem.It tells the challenges one face due to dislocation. It draws a picture of childhood and what we see through innocent eyes mean more than what it seems from distant. The movies setting..nature..ponds..ocean..bridge..lighthouse..these are those things that we remember from our own childhood. These places have stories of their own. Boy meets a fisherman to say..and has an experience that changes him or makes him realise..to be grateful. Dialogues are very precise.camera work is so delicate that u miss urself in the scene.and come out at the cut. This is one of the best coming of age that u will see.

Killa is a simple tale of a young Chinmay Kale and his short time in a village in Konkan, and yet it has so many layers. His anger towards leaving his old city, the loss of his father, the anxiety about living in a new place and meeting new people, the joy of making new friends and being accepted and finally the realization of his mother's importance, her grief, her struggles and acceptance of his own life.

All of the above is showed beautifully --- without exploiting any emotion or incident by overplaying the drama. Despite of that, every scene grabs you and your attention.

Debut film-maker Avinash Arun has done a fantastic job with direction and cinematography. But then again the canvas to work with was also beautiful. As someone who has a house in Konkan I can vouch for its beauty. Its white-sand beaches, clear blue seas, gorgeous light houses and lots and lots of coconut trees. Goa maybe the go to destination for many, but there are many hidden gems above in Maharashtra on that coastal line.

Amruta Subhash has done a good job, but that is expected from an actress of her caliber. But the movie belongs to the kids. They are the ones who surprise you and all of them are amazing. Parth Bhalerao will take all the credits for his role as the naughty Bandya, but Archit Deodhar (who played Chinmay Kale), Gaurish Gawade, etc are all brilliant as well. A special mention must be made to Umesh Jagtap who has a very small role of a drunk fisherman and he still leaves a mark.

Killa makes you laugh a lot and makes you sad in places, but best of all it takes you back to your own childhood, which would have been sprinkled with similar moments and friends.

Last night I caught this charming Marathi film 'Killa - The Fort'. I feel sorry over having missed this in the cinema. Oh well, at least DVD. Captured from the world-view of young Chinmay (Archit Deodhar) after he moves to a new town on account of his widowed mum's job transfer, the film strongly reminds me of RK Narayan's wonderful novel 'Swami & Friends'. With that literary classic it shares a gentle observational tone, the episodic nature of events told and the ability to see things from a child's point of view. The performances of the young actors are spot on (as also the adults, especially the lovely Amruta Subhash as Chinmay's mum), and although there's never any major unpleasantness, it doesn't try to sugarcoat / idealize the behavior of the kids or talk down to them. It also reminds me slightly of Francois Truffaut's 'The 400 Blows', though a lot more positive in its outlook.

Director Avinash Arun is also the DoP and he does a fabulous job, especially when capturing nature. The shots of dark clouds overhanging the titular fort and the subsequent shower are hugely atmospheric. Editing is also unobtrusively fine, and while there are no songs (thankfully) a lovely melodic instrumental score permeates several moments of the film.

The DVD from Video Palace is good. The image is somewhat soft but seems intentional in the cinematography. No extras, which is a bit of a bummer, but there's a short message from the director on the inside of the (nicely done) digipack talking about his childhood and how it inspired him to make the movie. On the whole highly recommended, unless you only see 100 crore movies.