Cast: Neena Gupta, Aqsa Siddiqui
Director: Vikas Khanna
The movie is inspired by the book ‘The Last Colour’ by renowned chef Vikas Khanna. The story throws light on the plight of the colourless lives of widows in the Hindu tradition.
Set in the holy city of Benares, the tale brings two lives that are suppressed by the norms of the society. While one refuses to die down as she literally walks on tight ropes to make a living, the other acts as a catalyst to the other. While one must live a colourless life, the other ensures to spurt colour onto it.
The Ghats of Benaras have more stories to tell beyond those lives that are already lost. The ghats hide in the stories of discrimination, power games, abuse in the name of caste, creed, traditions and religion and the will of many lives to fight them all.
Several lives are lost on the banks of the Ganges, some she sucks into her womb with ferocity, and many more she catapults beyond her banks. They might breathe longer to live the stories that must be narrated as epics. So are the entwined life stories of Noor, Choti, Chintu, and Anarkali.
The movie directed by Vikas Khanna is a brilliant tale which could have been a masterpiece had it been helmed by a seasoned director. The book as I hear is a well-written tale by Khanna – on my reading list . Neena Gupta is good, but in my opinion her real talent is untapped. The little girl Choti played by Aqsa Siddiqui is promising, and Rudrani Chettri’s character Anarkali lingers with the audience post the climax.
The cinematography, the music and the uniqueness of the locations are worth watching the movie for.
