Drishti is Govind Nihalani's take on modern marriage. The film presents a critical commentary on the institution, its pros and cons, its inability to last without active maintenance, and the difficulty involved in sustaining a relationship, which is forever fragile and prone to damage, miscommunication, and infidelity. In this film, the art of maintaining the passion in your marriage appears almost inhuman, with hints at what seems to be a basic view that monogamy is not a very novel idea after all, at least not among educated, progressive couples. Nikhil and Sandhya are the married couple in our story, and they are indeed educated, affluent, career-oriented, and highly sensible. Their marriage is never a compromise, it is a mutual interest out of pure love even if hardships come along the way. That said, even in spite of that appearing as a strong enough foundation, it is not stable, and they are not necessarily the ones to blame. While I'm not sure I completely agree with Nihalani's perception of marriage, he deserves credit for his excellent direction of the film in terms of both style and substance. He cares to always stay in a neutral position as far as his moral stand is concerned, and even if there is a message behind the story, it is always presented as an individual rather than universal story.
Clearly following the neorealist approach which had gained great fame through India's offbeat cinema more than a decade before, Drishti is, indeed, very, very realistic, impressively lifelike and highly atmospheric. The setting is authentic, and the photography is exceptional. The narrative style is very rare: it is mostly conversational rather than situational, with conversations presented in long takes uncovering the events. This makes the pacing slow, but Drishti remains consistently engaging, and a memorable cinematic experience. The first and main reason is that it really was beautifully shot - the camera work, the lighting, the window curtains blowing in the wind as Kishori Amonkar's voice plays in the background and the story unfolds in moments of transition, all make the film a visual treat. And secondly, many of the conversations are fascinating in their philosophical quotient, poetic tone, and everyday realism. I was, for one, very impressed by the casualty with which Sandhya shares with her friend her extramarital affair, how unashamed she is in her intention to keep it, and how indulgent she is in the conflict between loving her husband and not being prepared to dump the lover. Does it mean the marriage is at pieces? Or maybe her moral values are totally damaged? I personally think that both are correct, but some could see it as an individual story, never part of the marital problem but at best its outcome.
Dimple Kapadia's stunning, breathtaking beauty has never been photographed better or with more sensuality than in this film, which is quite a feat considering how naturally beautiful she is to begin with. Her beauty here is dazzling and almost angelic. Great portions of the film, starting with the film's very first scene, have the camera zooming in on her extraordinary visage, letting the whole gamut of emotions her character goes through register in her expressive eyes. On top of that, in what turns out to be a smart casting choice, it is not just that; while her charismatic, electrifying screen presence remains one of the film's prime assets, she ends up matching it with a truly raw, heartfelt and strikingly authentic performance. Her Sandhya is extremely vulnerable but incredibly strong at the same time; she is full of resentment but also absolutely compassionate, and even when she is broken, she is fast to recover and move on. In some scenes she outdoes herself and not for a second does she stumble into the realm of filminess. The great combination of her mesmerizing appearance and her sincere portrayal is quite reminiscent of the greatest leading ladies of world cinema from France, Italy and the likes, from Sophia Loren to Liv Ullman.
Shekhar Kapur, a great director in his own right, comes up with an inconsistent performance as Nikhil, although he does have his moments. It is not entirely his fault, because sadly we are never given an opportunity to see the story entirely through his perspective. But then, another highly convincing performance emerges through the character of Prabha, and it is to Mita Vasisht's credit that she is so real and easy to relate to. In fact, her acting is so good that it makes one lament that she never got a true opportunity in the film industry to further showcase her talent, barring some minor exceptions. Irfan Khan is also here, and while he is good in the role, his role is actually the most underdeveloped. The other third, Nikhil's lover, is never shown on-screen, and this brings me to what I consider the film's biggest flaw. I do appreciate Nihalani for not insulting the audience's intelligence by showing every tiny character, but at the same time, the film's play-like setting leaves many gaps and is a little incomplete in that regard. That Nikhil's lover does not appear in the film is really very problematic and leaves a lot to be desired. Even the relationship between Dimple and Irfan has less credibility and Nihalani should and could have delved more into the nature of their relationship. Despite all this, Drishti is a very engaging marriage story and overall, very enjoyable and appreciable as a film. A quality film, indeed.
