Reviews

I liked the fact that the narration keeps you completely engaged. The photography is also superb. Apparently, competition from David Attenborough has kept viewers away from this - but trust me this is nearly as good. Since none of David's episodes has such an in depth focus on this geographical area, it nicely complements David Attenborough's offerings in a nice way. I would have liked to have seen a bit of Kenneth in the episodes.

Did anyone notice that her father was a VP at Enron - another mega scam of a company? That should have been a red flag right away to all the investors. Apparently the apple did not fall too far away from the tree.

Set aside the silliness of Rani Mukherjee with a whip - everything else about the movie is absolutely realistic. Most people who have panned the movie have not experienced divorce and incompatibility issues that this movie brings about lucidly. Since I have myself experienced divorce I can testify that beyond a certain degree, incompatibility in marriage is impossible to sustain and when you find someone outside your marriage who is PERFECTLY compatible with you, then you find that even a few moments with than person is worth far more than a life with the person you might be stuck with. Often the incompatibility is due to the fact that we are hard-wired by our upbringing. The incompatibility due to our upbringing is not evident at the time of marriage but eventually it surfaces and it is impossible to ignore it. Comparing this movie to Kabhi Khushi KAbhi Gham and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, I found this to be far more thoughtful and insightful and I was glued to my seat till the very end. My hats off to KJ, SRK and RM - they are all very very good in this movie. This movie is more of an international caliber than most other Bollywood movies that I have seen.

This movie is spectacularly directed, acted and funny. All the actors are wonderfully chosen for their roles. Photography is great. I never enjoyed a Hindi movie as much as I enjoyed this one. I have yet to see a Vinay Pathak movie that I have not enjoyed but this one is by far the most enjoyable.

Add an enjoyable screenplay to the beautiful scenes from Himachal Pradesh , there is not a moment when you feel bored. The leading pair of Jagrat Desai and Sasha Goradia are refreshing new faces with a natural style of acting. I look forward to more wonderful movies from them.

The members of the Bhasin family are a riot - especially Rohan Shah. I do recall seeing Maya directed by Deepa Sahi many years ago. After seeing this movie, I must catch up with all her other work of the ensuing years.

Some reviewers here go on rambling on about matters of movie making technique. It is just like how Indians discuss cricket - every one has a theory about how the players played - but less than 0.004 % have ever picked up a bat in their lives.

Great deal of art does not have to do with technique but it has more to do with conveying the feelings of the artist. It is like love making - after the act is over - the only thing that endures is whether it was done with feeling. Paathshaala is a sincere movie and one with a circumspect message. If that message resonates with the viewer, this movie is splendid - splendid enough for me to register and write my first review in IMDb.