And I loved it despite the very obvious plot holes. I didn't remind myself about the synopsis of the film before watching and I hadn't realised that Mulla was transgender. Sanjana Dipu played her part perfectly.
There was a sense of predestination in the film. It was as if we knew what the fate of Mulla would be. As soon as Akbar determined he would take care of her, we know that his fate would be bad.
What we didn't know was how the fate of Ameer would turn out after the film moved unobtrusively into a far more lyrical past. The handling of the gay affair was done sensitively and pushed the limits as far as possible so that it would not get the film banned in the country.
I was amazed that the same actor played both young Akbar and the older version. I'm sure he must have gone on a high carbohydrate diet to plump up, but even so, his face was so expressively different from the good-looking youth he was during his clandestine affair to the dissipated junkie he had become after the departure of Ameer.
The bit part players were all good, especially the kids. I really liked the insight into the slums and criminal underground of Bombay.
The film was two hours long and didn't have the usual dances and songs; these would have marred the narrative. For a Western audience, this would be about right as it was for me. For a local showing, people might wonder why it was so short.
I'm glad I saw this.
There was a sense of predestination in the film. It was as if we knew what the fate of Mulla would be. As soon as Akbar determined he would take care of her, we know that his fate would be bad.
What we didn't know was how the fate of Ameer would turn out after the film moved unobtrusively into a far more lyrical past. The handling of the gay affair was done sensitively and pushed the limits as far as possible so that it would not get the film banned in the country.
I was amazed that the same actor played both young Akbar and the older version. I'm sure he must have gone on a high carbohydrate diet to plump up, but even so, his face was so expressively different from the good-looking youth he was during his clandestine affair to the dissipated junkie he had become after the departure of Ameer.
The bit part players were all good, especially the kids. I really liked the insight into the slums and criminal underground of Bombay.
The film was two hours long and didn't have the usual dances and songs; these would have marred the narrative. For a Western audience, this would be about right as it was for me. For a local showing, people might wonder why it was so short.
I'm glad I saw this.