‘Road, Movie’ is a creative, yet abstract tribute to the magic of cinema and its impact on our lives. You either get it or you don’t. But, if you get it, you will be left with an admiration for the complexity of the framework that Dev Benegal uses to convey this and the other-worldy quality he brings to the film.
At one level, this film is about a lad Vishnu, who is bored and frustrated with the oil (‘tael’ in Hindi) business of his father and offers to drop a run-down 1942 Dodge truck which services as a mobile cinema, to a museum in a sea-side town called Samudrabad. On his way, through the desert of Rajasthan, his truck breaks down and he is forced to give a ride to an old, over-weight mechanic, a young boy and a tribal girl who is in search of water. He realizes the importance of water in these parts and incurs the wrath of the local water mafia when he drinks from a well that he is not supposed to use. How he manages these characters and conflicts en route to his destination is what the plot tries to unravel.
But, that’s not the point. The beauty lies in the subtext and the symbolism. Vishnu represents people who need a break from the routine and drudgery of their life. They seek an escape, an entry into a different world. The truck with the cinema in it and Vishnu driving it represents our journey through films; the characters that he encounters are the characters whom we encounter in films, some real, and some unreal. They hitch a ride with us for those two hours and then go their way as we go ours.
This is very symbolic of the fact that what we see on screen stays on screen and in our hearts and minds, but can never be a physical part of our life. Dev Benegal gives a very dreamy look to the whole film and brings together interesting characters. He paints wonderful pictures of a makeshift screen on desert sands and captures the wonder in people’s eyes as they see cinema. He creates an ethereal experience on that arid canvas. You do wonder at times, where the film is headed, but it is not a conventional plot. That can get to the viewer if he is not prepared to persevere.
Abhay Deol as Vishnu is passable as an actor. His quality is in the fact that he seems to slip into the character and goes unnoticed. He is never seen as a hero or someone larger than life. That is his usp in movies such as these. Satish Kaushik creates an endearing mechanic on screen and brings the cynical comic element to the film. Tannishtha Chatterjee as the tribal woman has a raw sex appeal that is striking.
Watch ‘Road, Movie’ if you are game to try a new way of showcasing ideas. If not, you may be disappointed.
