Film: Ship Of Theseus
Director: Anand Gandhi
Cinema will become great
if it receives great audience. But it is equally important that this
great audience gets the opportunity to watch great films and that is
why cinephiles should rejoice at the commercial release of Anand
Gandhi's Ship Of Theseus. Based on a novel concept and treated
with a fresh perspective, the film doesn't simply make for a good
watch, but is also a motivator for more and more indie filmmakers to
come forth and seize the day.
The title refers to the
Theseus' paradox, wherein the Greek philosopher Plutarch questions
whether a ship that has been restored by replacing all its parts,
remains the same ship. The film addresses this philosophical query of
identity, justice, beauty, meaning and death through the lives of an
experimental photographer, an sickly monk and a young stockbroker.
With a voice of its own,
all the dialogues in the film try to prove a point using their
characters' vantage points. The characters themselves portray life as
is, without dramatising a situation that is at hand. Aida El-Kashef's
portrayal of a blind experimental photographer is overwhelmingly
believable. And if you thought Farhan Akhtar's transformation in
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was commendable, wait till you see the
Christian Bale-like transformation Neeraj Kabi has gone through for
his role as a monk suffering from liver cirrhosis.
Gandhi's realist
treatment reminds you of Kieslowskian imagery, which shows you life
without any filters and creates its impact through realistic actions.
Be it the dialogues, the camera movement or the sound design, the
film engages you emotionally, stimulates you on an intellectual level
and at times, makes you physically uncomfortable with its honest,
stark visuals.
The film makes you
question a lot of concepts in your life and to some extent, changes
the way you think. If that is not success, what is? Ship of
Theseus touches you, moves you, makes you feel and provides the
whole package of a cinematic experience. It is also advisable for
cinema geeks to watch this film repeatedly, so as to find the
embedded philosophical values.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Published in DNA (Pune) on July 20, 2013
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