Ankhon Dekhi Review

One Line Review: A minimalist film with a realistic dimension, which narrates the story of an aged man who sets out to learn about life all over again.

Positive Points: Perfect execution of the story; realistic angle given to the film; convincing and lively performances; conviction in the story base.

Negative Points: A bit much of quirkiness by the character.

Plot: Bauji (Sanjay Mishra) is a lower middle class family man who lives in Old Delhi with his wife, his children, his brother and his family. One day he discovers that his daughter is seeing a boy in the nearby area and is told that he has ill-reputed for many wrong doings. This enrages his family who set to confront him and beat him, who calmly faces their wrath. Now he comes to know that the boy is not as bad as they made it out to be.

Now the old man gives up his job and sets upon finding the truth of existence. He decides that he won't believe in anything until he has seen it for himself. On the other hand, his younger brother (Rajat Kapoor) finds himself a new home, which annoys Bauji greatly.

However, he does not give up his quest to look for the truth of life. In the process, he garners his own group of cronies who are always trying to 'learn' from what he is doing and saying in his quest for the ultimate truth. In the process, he starts acting weird and a bit deviant which worries his family members who are discomforted by his actions. The series of event unfolds in the remaining part of the film.

Direction And Other Technical Aspects: Given that the film is directed by Rajat Kapoor, all you can expect here is only high caliber direction, which is a typical characteristic of directors of his league. The film is taken smoothly and sophisticatedly through the life and experiences of the protagonist and peripheral characters with such sophistication, that one cannot help but say that this is one gem of a film.

Performances: With Rajat Kapoor's direction and caliber, the film gets it's finesse with the performances put in by the actors who have elevated film to a level seldom achieved by a few.

Sanjay Mishra who has been known to play comic characters in mainstream Bollywood cinema, has put up a grand display of his skill to bring alive the character so convincingly that one will surely get engrossed in the story. His character's quirkiness, weirdness and at the same time, his complicated pursuit for the truth are all really impressive.

Rajat Kapoor has successfully executed the role of his younger brother who is serious and strong with a practical approach towards his life, but often loses his calm when he is reminded of his brother.

Music: All the music tracks in the film are soulful and are very minimalist just like the film apart from being classical in their approach. 'Aag Lagi Lagi Nai Dhoop', 'Aayi Bahar' and 'Kaise Sukh Soyein' are all about conveying the story and the state of mind of the protagonist.

Final verdict: The film which falls in the realm of the classical cinema is all about the story of one ordinary old man, who is set to find out the ultimate truth of life, through his own ways and methods, no matter how quirky and weird they seem. It also encompasses the reactions and experiences of his family members who are irked by his behaviour. The film, though minimalist with so much realism in its theme, is a treat for those who are looking for something meaningful.