You want a love story? Take this!. Review on Mr & Mrs Iyer

Mr. and Mrs. Iyer

Its a life story: -

I saw this movie thinking it?s going to be a statement on communal riots. But I was wrong. It is much more than that. It?s a story of two individuals, both poles apart, coming from as varied backgrounds as possible. It?s a story about religious beliefs, and how love supercedes these beliefs. It?s a wonderfully made movie, with a wonderful cast.

Performances: - Rahul Bose as Mr. Iyer/Jehangir Chawdry/Raja gives a top-class performance. His delivery is perfect, and so are his expressions. An educated and successful Muslim photographer, who is stuck on a bus with a Tamil woman who has a one year old to take care of, contending with Hindu extremists inside the bus as well as outside, Rahul Bose is extremely convincing. Rahul Bose should stop wasting time making movies like Mumbai Matinee, which are of no consequence. He should concentrate on roles like this one, which fit him perfectly.

Konkana Sen as Meenaxi Iyer gives an outstanding performance too. She plays the role of an Iyer wife from a conservative family to perfection. Its funny I hadn?t seen any of her movies before. She looks stunning in a sari. She handles the child as well as I have seen one year olds being handled by actresses on scene. She shows the inhibitions, which are expected in an Iyer daughter-in-law. Then, as she gets to know Raja better, you see these inhibitions thin out. The writers sketched a character that was so simple, yet one of the toughest to portray. Konkana Sen delivers an award-winning performance here.

Supporting: - The youngsters in the bus do get loud on a few occasions. The Jewish character in the bus had potential for a better performance, but got lost somewhere in the screenplay. The police inspector does a good job. Overall, an above average supporting cast.

Direction: - This was my first Aparna Sen movie. So I wouldn?t be able to compare this movie with her other movies. She handles the subject very well. Some of the scenes on the bus are done so well, you would think you are watching a real bus crowd. The interaction between Raja and Meenaxi in the train was just amazing. That scene alone makes this movie worth watching many times over. The movie has a gentle pace to it, just fast enough to keep the viewer interested at all times. And she didn?t show any violence in the movie.

The violence was kept just on the borders, and close enough so that you could feel it, but don?t have to sit through the ordeal of watching Hindus and Muslims kill each other. The reference to Indira Gandhi?s death, and the ensuing violence, drives home the point of the movie better than anything else. The scene in the Guest House room between Raja and Meenaxi was also handled very well. This has to be one of the most original handling of such a situation. Wonderful direction. And a wonderful ending to the movie. Just perfect.

Watch this movie if you want to watch something with class. Something that will make you give some thought to your thoughts about this world, and entertain you at the same time.