Yes, it is long. And it is slow. And yes, it could have been crisper and snappier, which is why it feels a tad self-indulgent. Some side stories come out of nowhere and disappear just the same. They are abrupt and jerky. Other tracks could have been shortened or cut out without much damage. In fact, the absence might have added value. Yet other plots felt over-written and some were difficult to grasp. Also, the first half breaks into song way too often. The second half though, especially the last hour, tethers you to your seat and holds you there right till the last of the end credits has rolled.
This is laced with philosophy about love—a profound take on passion whether it be for work, a person or a hobby.
Main Vaapas Aaunga‘s old-world romance brews on a slow flame. The pace might have been okay if it didn’t last the whole length of the first half and a little more. That aside, you begin to see glimpses of what the makers are trying to get at. It is more than a simple love story. It is more than even a regular ol’ romance set during the India-Pakistan Partition. It is an allegory. Of every displacement in the modern global history and that continues to this day. That was the hook for me at interval. Are they going to make something more of it? Or is it just a fleeting metaphor?
I was not left with any of those questions by the end. I won’t say which way it went at the risk of giving away any more of the plot. But their intention was clear, and they put it across beautifully.
Take this in. A whole community decided to not look back at their lived experiences. It collectively suppressed combined and individual trauma—to keep the peace. This is underlined with as much rawness as one scene of sacrifice and helplessness that will stay with every viewer forever. Why? Because the generation that did not actually suffer will just use the brutality endured during the partition to propagate hatred. This hits a nerve. Decisions about the partition were made by people who had no skin in the game. This notion uses a brilliant metaphor. This is thought-provoking and heart-wrenching.
And all of this is done without melodrama or glamourising any one side. That balance is maintained delicately. Another spark in writing shows through with the deft use of non-linearity. This is laced with philosophy about love—a profound take on passion whether it be for work, a person or a hobby.
The performances take the writing a notch higher. Naseeruddin Shah‘s portrayal of the onset of dementia is as mind-boggling as the writing that weaves the illness with reality. Diljit Dosanjh has a reassuring presence throughout. Vedang Raina and Sharvari are young and earnest, just like their characters.
Given all that the move has going for it proves that it is a well-made one. It is a shame then that it feels unjustifiably stretched with a sluggish first half. 🙁
– meeta, a part of the audience
