Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain: Movie Review

A scene from the movie "Angrezi mein Kehte hain" by Harish Vyas

The movie addresses the quintessential dialectic of not valuing, the most indispensable people of our lives. It takes the viewer through an immersive story of a simple family based at a place much known as an epicentre of Hindu Ascetic spiritual life- Varanashi. The tale weaves magic into the ordinariness of ordinary life as it is, in vibrant detail. Splashes of washed cobalt blue married to peeling yellow walls, and cluttered old furniture, always finding some purpose for itself in the vintage home. 

        The clothing adorned by the people seem to me, a reflection of the stage and place at which each character is currently in their life in reference to the house itself. The father, in sombre faded shirts and trousers, an ominous reminder of the burgeoning boredom and mundane processes of life that lie ahead. The mother a quiet and elegant woman, oiling the machine of the system that threatens to erode her, alas, unappreciated. The sprightly young daughter clad in lemony yellow garments associating herself with the more liberated and responsible yet loved woman, as much as she witnesses the sufferings of her mother.

      Secondary characters such as the daughter's doting boyfriend, soon to become husband, and his father give comic relief. The story progresses into a teary and heart warming rendition of the struggles of each character as they grow through a journey of rediscovery of their roles in each other's lives. It reinstates the importance of deriving joy from small things and the invaluable worth of each other, specifically, that of the wife to her stoic 'dutiful' husband. 

The truth in the oft spoken, old adage in Hindi "घर की मुर्गी दाल बराबर।" leads us to the following, as the narrator (the father) states...

"जब चीज़ें आँखों के पास हो तो अकसर धुँधली हो जाती हैं। फिर जब दूर होती है तो साफ़ दिखने लगती है। लेकिन अगर बहुत दूर हो जाए तो भी दिखना बंद हो जाती हैं।"
       
In the end, the fuchsia pink shirts that now sit lightly on the father's limber torso and the mother's rather new ensemble of salwar kameez and hairdo optimistically signal the humble beginnings of a tranquil and hopefully lasting romance.
A must watch for 'art' film enthusiasts and those looking to enrich the dreariness of everyday life with the recipe for rejuvenation.