Milestone

Meet patthar is a film maker's wet dream. A poignant character sketch that stands tall. I watched this right after watching Nomadland and the latter doesn't even close to what this film is. It's most striking feature is its sound design and production that really comes out as there is no background score as such. The Foley work is top notch and the sound really holds you in an embrace (highly recommend using good quality headphones while watching this to appreciate Gautam Nair's amazing work). The quietness really adds to the cold winter mood of north India. The carefully subtle treatment of the character is breath of fresh air amidst the overtly loud and heavy treatment currently being dished out as content. Chopin's Nocturne No. 20 in C sharp minor in the ending credits is icing on the cake.

This deserves the Academy award more than Nomadland.

I watched Milestone : Meel Pathar on Netflix in orig. Hindi/Punjabi w/Eng. Subtitles.

Meel Pathar starts with a dark ambiance and sustains this for the most part. After the first fifteen minutes I didn't really want to watch the rest of the film. I continued because the main character Ghalib (well portrayed by Suvinder Vicky) looked exactly like a distant relative :-)))) now thats a reason to watch a film if any ....

Turned out to be quite a good film though in the Gloomy genre.

Ghalib is what many would consider a stereotypical roughneck seasoned truck driver. His colleague and good friend is Dilbagh, possibly older to Ghalib. A loader's strike in on and the truck drivers end up giving a hand with the loading and unloading of goods, causing Ghalib severe back strain. The truck owner's son wants to infuse new blood into the business. Ghalib asks for a loader to accompany him on his trips but the owner gives him a young lad Pash (Lakshvir Saran) to train as a driver. In the meantime, Dilbagh is unceremoniously replaced by a younger driver and Ghalib also fears he may lose his job to the new boy.

A background sub plot is that Ghalib's Sikkimese wife Etali has committed suicide and this is another reason for his gloomy countenance. Her father and sister approach Ghalib's village panchayat demanding compensation for the loss of their daughter. Ghalib says he never illtreated his wife, and did everything to make her happy including selling his village home and buying a flat in the city. The panchayat still decides that Ghalib should give them some compensation but the sister in law strangely refuses his offer of Rs2 lac cash. He is given a months time to think of what else he can offer.

Ghalib and the young Pash bond of sorts. Ghalib offers Pash money to resign as he fears he will be fired if Pash becomes a regular driver. Pash refuses the money but says he will quit if Ghalib marries his older sister. A shocked Ghalib slaps him and walks away. Ghalib is invited for a cup of tea by his Kashmiri neighbour (well essayed by Pavitra Mattoo) when he goes to return a toy dropped in his balcony by the lady's child. Over tea, the lady talks about Etali. During the conversation Ghalib admits that his wife's suspicions about his infidelities was true. Ghalib obtains a hard to get and expensive liquor licence permit and offers it to his inlaws who accept this as compensation much to the panchayat's surprise.

Another sub plot is Pash's elder sister calling Ghalib as she is worried that she can not get through to her brother for a few days. Ghalib's truck driven by Pash has broken down, Ghalib traces him and calls the sister back to inform her. In the process Ghalib and the sister have a longish, amiable conversation hinting that Ghalib may perhaps consider a new life with a new wife and a brighter future to look forward to.

The sets and locations are realistic, the acting is strong by all and the plot is good though appears boring at times and could have been speeded up for easier watching. I fast forwarded my way through a few frames.

Meel Pathar is not a film for everyone, but it is good nonetheless.

Example of an intelligent cinema!! Great acting 👏 !!

Ivan Ayr made a splash at the international circuit with an engrossing women-cop drama, Soni, released in 2018. The brilliant director is back with yet another riveting tale of a truck driver in Milestone.

Milestone (Meel Patthar) tells the story of Ghalib, a bereaved truck driver whose world falls apart when he loses his wife and performs his duty not just to survive but to escape the state of loneliness. He faces the challenge when the Delhi Transport company hires an intern who pose a threat to his job. There are couple of things before you begin to watch Milestone. It is not a film that will cheer you nor it has any commercial aspect that will entertain you to the core. Milestone is a craft which gets as real as possible. The protagonist played brilliantly by Suvinder Vicky is very much like a common man with tons of responsibility, life filled with problems and challenges, sleepless nights, frustration and anger. However, life goes on and get so heavy making your beard hair turn gray coupled with backaches. Yet, Ghalib does not shy or run away. He stands for his peer who is beaten up by a local party, pays handsomely to his in-law to settle for his wife's untimely death as per his village panchayat's decision and even helps a unknown woman find her brother who goes missing for a week.

The best part of watching Milestone is the characters around Ghalib are so real. Right from the father-son duo who runs the Delhi Transport, society people who are complaining and blabbering about the lift not working to Ghalib's neighbor who reminds him about the pain his wife was suffering in his absence. Milestone is a slow-burn desolated film which will keep you engrossed but at the same time is not everyone's cup of tea considering the current situation. Another highlight of Milestone is the magnificent camera work by Angello Faccini capturing the North India highway, rugged terrain to the enriching climax as the rain falls on the windshield of Ghalib's truck.

Even though it is 98 minutes flick devoid of any light-hearted scene, the screenplay was good keeping me engrossed as I was curious to know more about Ghalib. Art direction evoked a cultural and emotional reaction while background score could have made it better ( I wish something similar to beautiful track composed by Ludovico Einaudi in Nomadland).

Milestone belonged to the Punjabi actor Suvinder Vicky who perfectly plays the role of Ghalib to T. Suvinder Vicky has less dialogues but more of expression which he does with a aplomb. His impeccable acting makes Milestone worth-watching as get engaged with world of truck drivers in India. As I said, the side actors were brilliant as they played the real life character so appropriately.

Milestone is like painting a picture on the canvas which gets better with deep and intense characters who bring out life in a story of a lonesome truck driver. Good 3/5.

A movie that throws light in to the plight of the working class in a capitalist economy.