That’s the word ’Filhaal’ mean to me. And believe me it’s just the right word for the movie. And I liked the movie more than I liked the title.
While the critics may still argue about whether this is parallel cinema or a part of the mainstream films, let me congratulate Meghna Gulzar for such a bold and mature debut. A very contemporary storyline - dealt with creatively rich treatment on the celluloid and definitely a very realistic packaging.
In recent times, the film-makers as well as the film-goers, have developed a tendency to concentrate on the entertainment side, and the aesthetics of films is suffering a great loss. An attitude of escaping the truth (which is harsher than we think it can be), has crept into all of our minds. We tend not to look at the problems, we are lacking the depth in thinking as well as in deeds.
In such a scene, this film, with a touchy subject and marvellous performances, has come like a breath of fresh air. Surrogate motherhood, two friends who are more sisterly than sisters, love and career, husbands and wives, and their sharing of grief ...... it’s a beautiful subject. And I personally like the fact that, this being a women-oriented film, for the first time it hasn’t been harsh on the depiction of men and their characteristics.
Performances from all quarters are lovely. Tabu is good as always, Sanjay is magnificient, Palash is sincere (but I do think he needs some more training to refine his skills). But, the best of all of them is Sushmita - it’s a real deep acting and she’s done with such ease! This surely, should help Sushmita to establish her skills as an actress. The music is very soothing and pleasant throughout the length, and so is the Art direction and Camera work. Direction has been great, although I feel there are some areas where it could have been better.
Lastly, I would like to request to the film-makers - Please put in some creativity in your works - let’s not always run after money!