Trikal (Past, Present, Future)

This is a Hindi language film created by Shyam Benegal.

It's a haunting film - in the sense that it stays with you and doesn't leave you after. Many shades of human character are brought to the fore. All in the backdrop of Bharat's liberation of Goa from the Portuguese. One gets to see the mindset and culture of the people - some who identify themselves more as Portugese than Bharatiya.

The film is very introspective, played out in flashbacks of Ruiz when he comes visiting an ancestral property currently in ruins.

Leela Naidu as the matriarch is very good. But Neena Gupta stands out for how the local Bharatiya were exploited during the Portuguese occupation. Doing errands both menial and dangerous. Satisfying them and sacrificing themselves. Sad and that's the part that stands out.

Brilliant story with the monologue at the ending that makes you think..