The Great Indian Butterfly | Theatres List

Sesh on 3rd Apr 2010, 10:30pm | Permalink

A sincere attempt by a mature screenwriter/filmmaker to portray a phase in an Indian yuppie couple's post marital relationship, showing attempts being made by each (rather insincerely, one would feel on initial observation) to resolve the issues inherent within. A poor start to a well-planned vacation instantly sets the tone at the beginning of the movie, establishing the strained nature of the couple's relationship right at the onset. The rest of the movie plays out like a road movie for most of its running time, taking some diversions into each issue that is plaguing the couple, with a few flashbacks thrown in for good measure, but more about those later.
No sides are taken, and I felt that was the best part in the screenplay (though a plot point later in the movie made me reflect on that interpretation), among other things (cinematography, performances), about this movie. The office politics scenario in Sandhya's character's ongoing career-plot could have been portrayed with fewer clichés, as mentioned in the review, but still plays out like it could have happened in real life as well. However, where I differ with the reviewer is my opinion that this aspect does not detract from the main movie, which plays out thereafter with the director in full control of where he wants the audience. In addition to the dual-pronged theme, there are also consistent, yet subtle attempts in certain scenes lead the audience to form multiple interpretations from those, which has a very interesting denouement, and worth the price of admission for it alone.
The diversions taken to explain and account for the mythical nature of the title are jarring, along with the choices made in the soundtrack. Surprisingly, Kashyap's hindi number (without subtitles, surprisingly, though other hindi dialogues are all subtitled) seemed to belend in (though its not her best), and the choices of English pop stick out, and if you close your eyes, you might feel that you are watching an 80's english drama. Dated.
It is an art-house movie, and has been marketed and produced as such, and in my opinion, should be supported so that similar attempts are encouraged to have their own multiplex releases. In Hyderabad, Inox, with its digital projection, offers the best viewing experience. Obscure parts of Goa have never looked this good. Plenty of beautiful sunset shots on-location as well, made me yearn for a quick Goa trip to escape the Hyderabad heat. :-)
Side note: - Strange coincidence that the same company is releasing 2 indie movies in the same week, the other one being 'Pankh', and even that during the cricket season - it smacks of the powers-that-be having no confidence in their own products. Hope they have better runs on DVD at least, though the company has done whatever it could to torpedo their own earnings.

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