Review of 'Blue Umbrella'

'Blue Umbrella'--- a film that will make you smile

I was glad when I got a personally autographed copy of 'Blue Umbrella' from Ruskin Bond last year when I met him to do an interview. I was excited once again like a kid when I got an invite for the premier of the film 'Blue Umbrella' based on the same Novella and directed by Vishal Bharadwaj.

Set in a small town in the hills of Himachal Pradesh it's as idyllic as it can be. If you have seen Malgudi days on TV you can relate to the settings of the film very well. It is this small, happy and harmonious village where everyone knows everyone else and nothing is hidden from one another.

The film 'Blue Umbrella' opens on Nandkishore (Pankaj Kapur), an unkempt shopkeeper lying on his charpoy with headphones plugged into his years and listening to a robot telling him his fortune. The mechanical voice assures Nandu that he will become a rich and famous man like 'Bill Gates', and when asked by one of his cronies who 'Bill Gates' is Nandkishore promptly answers that like India Gate there must be something called Bill Gates.

Nandu is this shrewd shopkeeper who wants everything that he likes and looks to make money out of every little thing that he can. Just as everything is normal in the village, a little girl 'Biniya' (debutante Shreya) is gifted a 'Blue Umbrella' by a group of Japanese travelers. They exchange the enticing Blue Umbrella for a Bear Claw locket that is supposedly a lucky charm for Biniya.

Biniya takes the Blue Umbrella that is so beautiful and the entire village is in awe of that umbrella. Right from the Village School Teacher's wife to Nandu everyone wants to have the Blue Umbrella. While she shares the Blue Umbrella with her friends, Biniya is clear she is never going to part with the beautiful acquisition that she has made recently. Nandu attempts all to entice her - free choclates and biscuits and even a paltry sum of Rs. 50 for the umbrella, but she refuses. Then finally one day the umbrella gets stolen.

Not just Biniya, the entire village is upset. Everybody tries to pacify Biniya but Biniya decides to investigate the robbery on her own along with the village police. There are several twists and turns from here on in the story. I would not want to reveal the whole film to you. All I can say is that there are emotions and issues of ostracism, loss, longing and loneliness that are brought out well.

Finally, all's well that end's well. It's a happy ending. The film is shot brilliantly, the photography is amazing. The cast has done a brilliant job. A low-budget production ‘Blue Umbrella’ deals powerfully with snow and nature, at the same time superbly highlighting the umbrella. In fact the director Vishal Bhardwaj treats the umbrella like the main protagonist of the film.

All in all the film is lovely and definitely brings the child out in you and makes you smile. I liked the film better than Bhardwaj's earlier children's film 'Makdee'. One must go and watch the film.

By,
Anusha S.