It’s not the daily necessity things makes us happy(but keeps us going) but small little material things like gold, designer clothes, leather shoes, shiny car etc. makes us feel special and brings joy in our life. It’s widely accepted that same little material things brings misery in our life makes us jealous of possessor, instigate our desire, hurt our ego, and feeling inferior to others.
Vishal Bhardwaj’s Blue Umbrella(2007) adapted from Ruskin Bond’s novella of same name is a special film demonstrating material life exists even the simplest lifestyle and how greed and desire triggers one’s downfall.
Story
Blue Umbrella is set in a hamlet of hilly region of Himalaya where everyone in the village knows everyone.
Nandkishore Khatri(Pankaj Kapoor) is a miserly old man who runs a tea stall in the village and has a fondness for beautiful small little things possessed by children. One day Bindiya(Shreya Sharma), an eleven-year-old girl from same village finds vibrant blue color Japanese umbrella. When Bindiya returns village with her new charming possession, it becomes instant attraction. None of the villagers including Nandkishore ever seen anything more beautiful than Bindiya’s umbrella. Nandkishore tries his best to swindle Bindiya to get hold of umbrella but he fails. Nandkishore tries to order a similar kind of umbrella with the help of local shop owner from Delhi but he fails to do so because of expensive price tag attached to the umbrella.
One fine day when Bindiya was wandering into valley with her umbrella as usual, her umbrella gets stolen. Bindiya accuses Nandkishore but she fails to prove it. The villagers are sympathetic to her misery but are convinced that Biniya’s carelessness has resulted in the loss. Nandkishore couldn’t take the humility of police ransacking his little tea stall, he vows to get same kind of umbrella from city.
Within week, Nandkishore receives a totally new red Japanese umbrella that he ordered specially from Delhi. Local villagers and kids are again impressed by the new umbrella making Nandkishore as hottest commodity in the village. Deep inside Bindiya knew that Nandkishore is the real thief. After relentless tries, she tracks down how Nandkishore stole her blue umbrella and repainted it with red color with the help of dying shop in nearby town.
At last, Nandkishore gets exposed and Bindiya gets her umbrella back. Villagers boycott him out of the community. No one is allowed to talk and no one is allowed to socialize with Nandkishore. As months goes by, no one visits his shop and he breaks down financially and socially. In one wintry day, Bindiya(with her change of heart) visits Nandkishore’s shop and leaves her Umbrella to relieve old man’s misery. Nandkishore eventually realizes the umbrella brought all misery to him and only way to get his life back is getting rid of umbrella itself.
Analysis
Blue Umbrella at its heart is a fable. It’s a simple fairytale takes place in the small little town of hilly Himalayan region and that’s where its power lies. As it happens with any fables, even though it’s simple, sensible, and beautiful from surface, if anyone willing to see beneath the surface, they are message-driven and thought-provoking work. As Vishal says in his own words, it’s a children film for adults. If children enjoy its wonderful world of umbrellas, adults will swept by its emotional appeal and profound message. It’s a great feeling to see how small little films like this makes greater impact on viewer’s psyche than biggest Bollywood biggies. In two hours of film, you will be transported to the land of fresh air, never-ending vistas, and hilly landscape. You will worry about whether this little umbrella will get stolen or not. If it does, will she get back her umbrella or not. What will happen to person who steal umbrella? What’s the price he should be paying for stealing small little umbrella?
It’s no surprise that most of all memorable moments of the film are surrounded around Blue Umbrella with the profound multi-layered message. Just keep an eye on the scene when Bindiya brings back umbrella first time to the village. In the stark contrast of rustic village background, Bindiya brings this colorful Blue umbrella and as she passes through village streets, on one hand it reminds us Shoal’s greatest scene when Jai and Veeru crosses the village market to get Thakur’s house, on other hand it demonstrate the amazing enviable power Umbrella has. Everyone in the village stops doing their normal work and are in the awe of umbrella and its owner. Same way when Nandkishore posses red umbrella, power and prestige attached with umbrella goes to the Nandkishore’s favor. Just watch out for the scenes when Bindiya poses herself with foreigners outside of the tea stall with her blue umbrella, Nandkishore watches jealously and later on when Nandkishore poses with foreigners with his red umbrella, Bindiya watches power of umbrella changing its sides from herself to Nandkishore.
The way Vishal used seasons as metaphor for the story itself is another masterstroke of the film. When movie opens, its vibrant sunny days of the summer and everyone were having fun in outdoor of the small village. Movie itself has light playful moments. As film ends, its cold brutal winter and no one is visible in the town. Movie itself has a loneliness and painful moments.
Maverick director Vishal Bhardwaj is a one of the latest sensations in new age of Bollywood cinema. It’s tough to imagine person who created extremely complicated dramas like Maqbool and Omkara, came up this small yet beautiful film. Even though its well adapted from the Ruskin Bond’s short story, its Vishal’s little touch, innovative situations in the story, and subtle narration makes it very special film. There are no creative camera angles, no fast switching camera movements, no zoom in or zoom out. He just leaves his camera still and let actors perform in front of camera while filmgoers are taking their time to watch the characters routinely does their work in the backdrop of beautiful Himalayan region.
Pankaj kappor as an old shopkeeper in Himalayan hamlet has given a flawless performance. Just watch out the scenes when he look out for kids having priceless possessions or excitement he shows eating his pickles when his umbrella arrives from the city or anger he shows after getting humiliated in front of villages when police ransacks his house or pain he shows when he is alone in wintry nights. Shreya Sharma as a Bindiya has given memorable performance. She is spontaneous and blends perfectly in the little mountain girl character.
Conclusion
It’s no doubt that Blue Umbrella is a small little film without larger than life superstars and unlike mega blockbusters are releasing now a days. Don’t let things like that betray you and consider this as ignorable film. Its small fairytales like this stays with you forever even after watching it for days. Above all, it’s a brilliant film questioning human’s desire and greed for small little material things. It’s a timeless classic and one shouldn’t miss it at any cost.