ENTERTAINMENT
Indie cinema junkies will devour Chaurahen but those who enjoy a good Bollywood entertainer will be left high and dry.
Film: Chaurahen
Director: Rajshree Ojha
Cast: Ankur Khanna, Soha Ali Khan, Victor Banerjee, Roopa Ganguly, Kiera Chaplin, Karthik Kumar, Shayan Munshi, Zeenat Aman
Rating: **
Chaurahen means crossroads in Hindi. This 2007 film (as listed on IMDB), mostly in English, is seeing the light of the day after making rounds of film festivals across the world for almost five years. It’s being released via PVR’s Director’s Rare initiative and in director Rajshree Ojha’s words is a “truly independent film”.
Ojha weaves four stories by Hindi novelist Nirmal Verma, into one 90-minute film with ample layers, long silences and stunning performances.
Mumbai: Farooq (Ankur Khanna) and Ira (Soha Ali Khan) are a young couple in love. A writer, Farooq holds on to eerie memories (including a pair of used dentures) of his dead parents. This feeling of not letting go will cost him dearly; his relationship with Ira.
Kolkata: Middle-aged Mr Bose (Victor Banerjee) is drawn to a young foreigner, Lea (Kiera Chaplin), leaving his wife (Roopa Ganguly) to suffer alone and mourn the death of their daughter Sujata (nothing is explained, we only know she’s dead).
Kochi: Budding writer Nandu (Karthik Kumar) is home from Vienna to attend his younger brother Keshy’s last rites. Standing up for himself, constantly wanting to be accepted without living in the shadow of his soldier brother, Nandu is always at uncomfortable distance from his army man father.
The fourth story is that of Keshy (Shayan Munshi) and his very brief meeting with an elderly woman (Zeenat Aman) in a bar.
The stories are not related by subtly tied by a common thread: death. Ojha explores human emotions of grief, longing and finally redemption. Understated, yet touching performances take Chaurahen to another level, one where death connects. Ojha takes liberties of using very minimal dialogue, allowing her actors to use body language amply to express varied emotions. One scene that remains with you is when Nandu, in a candid, almost tearful conversation with sister Neeta (Suchitra Pillai) tells her how badly he needs to return to Vienna. He says someone’s waiting for him and it’s a ‘he’.
For a 90-minute feature, the pace of Chaurahen is slow enough to induce sleep. Too many unexplained angles and cheesy lines easily throws it into the one-time watch basket. It does not entertain even by a long shot, but sure does depress because of its intense portrayal of death and grief. Ojha handles her subject well, never resorting to melodrama or extreme reactions. The audience for such kind of cinema is so niche, it won’t be surprising if Chaurahen sinks without a trace.
Indie cinema junkies will devour Chaurahen but those who enjoy a good Bollywood entertainer will be left high and dry.
This Indian king, was first man to make history by marrying foreign woman during his trip to...
Mukesh Ambani's Jio once again TOPPED in global telecom industry, sets record in...
New ‘Satoshi Nakamoto’ emerges: Meet man who declares himself to be Bitcoin founder but fails to...
Watch: Former CSK star gets hit for 6 sixes in an over against England during Hong Kong Sixes
'Makes no sense': Ex-India star slams Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir for absurd Sarfaraz Khan decision
World's richest man Elon Musk faces lawsuit from Ex-Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal for...
Security forces kill 2 terrorists, including a foreign national in Jammu and Kashmir
WWE Crown Jewel 2024: Full match card, timing, live streaming details - All you need to know
'Absurd and baseless': India dismisses Canadian minister's allegations against Amit Shah
IND vs NZ: Virat Kohli scripts history in Mumbai Test, becomes first player in world to...
This 51-year-old woman leaves husband to marry 30-year-old Indian security guard
Mukesh Ambani's best plan for Jio users, 200GB data, 90 days of unlimited calls at just Rs...
'Thanks for...': Abhishek Bachchan's viral statement amid divorce rumours with Aishwarya Rai
Jammu and Kashmir: 2 terrorists killed in encounter with security forces in Anantnag
21-Day Mars, Moon simulation in Ladakh
Prashant Kishor's fee for advising in one election will leave you shocked, it is Rs...
Dua Padukone Singh: Here's how Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh named their baby girl
Another BIG move by Mukesh Ambani, set to provide some help for debt-ridden Ghana as Reliance Jio...
J-K: Gun battle breaks out between security forces and terrorists in Srinagar's Khanyar
Noel Tata takes BIG decision at TCS after Ratan Tata's death, plans to hire...
'Will chop them up...': Mithun Chakraborty hits out at TMC’s Humayun Kabir at Kolkata rally
Delhi Air Pollution: Delhi-NCR AQI turns ‘very poor’ as city wakes up to toxic smog post-Diwali
Gautam Adani's next BIG step: Adani Power stops Bangladesh’s power supply due to...
Indian troops start patrolling Demchok sector in eastern Ladakh following India-China disengagement
Amy Jackson announces first pregnancy with husband Ed Westwick, flaunts baby bump in adorable pics
In THIS Indian village, families live with cobras, the reason is...
Hardik Pandya flaunts his special 'World Champion' ring after being retained by MI, video goes viral
Happy Govardhan Puja 2024: Top 50 WhatsApp wishes, messages, quotes for loved ones
Despite massive Diwali opening, is Singham Again paying the price for banking on huge star cast?
Shah Rukh Khan's heartfelt gesture towards jewellery store staff wins internet, watch
DNA TV Show: Public calls out celebrities’ hypocrisy on Diwali pollution
Fashion designer Rohit Bal dies at 63: Last year, he was on ventilator for heart ailments
BCCI scraps India's intra squad warm-up game ahead of Border-Gavaskar Trophy, reason revealed
Legendary fashion designer Rohit Bal dies at 63 after prolonged illness
Another terrorist attack in J-K, militants shoot two non-locals in Budgam
Meet Anish Sarkar, world's youngest FIDE-rated chess player at 3 years
Bigg Boss 18: These two wild cards to enter Salman Khan's show, get into heated argument on stage
Fact check: Did Abhishek Bahchan tie knot with Nimrat Kaur amid divorce rumours with Aishwarya Rai?
Govardhan Puja 2024: History, significance, Puja timings; why it is celebrated after Diwali?
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Birthday: Kajol pens heartfelt wishes for actress, calls her…
Dhirubhai Ambani played matchmaker for Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambani, he did...
Amid Diwali festivities, UPI sets new record in October with transactions over…
PM Modi's BIG attack on Congress: 'Making unreal promises is easy but...'
Singham Again box office collection day 1: Ajay Devgn film beats Kartik Aaryan-starrer, earns Rs...
'Always fun to...': Google CEO Sundar Pichai shares why Diwali is his 'favourite time of the year'
Why Rishabh Pant and Delhi Capitals parted ways ahead of IPL 2025 auction? Report makes huge claim
'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3', 'Singham Again' banned in Saudi Arabia; know why
Delhi Government announces public holiday for THIS festival, find details here
Despite festive season, Rs 7.90 lakh cars lying unsold, it is worth...; here's the reason
'CSK Ne Chaal Chal Di': Ex-India star takes humourous dig at franchise’s decision on MS Dhoni