User reviews

"Whether the ship would remain the same if it were entirely replaced, piece by piece. What would happen if their original planks were gathered up after they were replaced, and used to build a second ship. Which ship, if either, is the Ship of Theseus'."

Ship of Theseus starts by stating the Theseus' paradox and then moves on, leaving the viewers struggling to find the answer of this paradox. SOT is based upon three stories which raises questions on Existence, Identity, Humanity and Karma.

The first story is about a girl named Aaliya Kamal (Aida El-Kashef) who took photography after she lost her eyesight to a cornea infection and when she is asked "Do you feel limited?", she replies "Uhh.. No. Why is it so amazing not to have limits and doubts?". This is the part where each and every frame of the film looks stunning and exceptionally beautiful. There is no story in this part but it's about the perception of beauty, how black and white can be the most colorful combination and how a person loses her comfort when she gets her vision back. Aida plays with her eyes and did a great job with her part. Watch out for her body movements when she hears distinct voices during her photo sessions. Pankaj Kumar (director of photography) does an excellent job and his part gives real definition to the movie's aesthetic value. The sequence where Aaliya starts seeing her photographs when she gets her vision back is another highlight of the movie. Ah!!! Those photographs were just mind blowing.

The second story shows an ailing monk, Maitreya (Neeraj Kabi) who is suffering from Liver Cirrhosis and is fighting against pharmaceutical companies which performs cruelty against animals for the sake of experiments. It's the part where questions are raised about Karma, Religions and Beliefs. The moment where Chakrava (Vinay Shukla) asks the monk, when he is restricting himself to take medications to support his protest, "What about the violence you are committing on yourself by not taking medication?. And how is your choice not different from a suicide bomber who is so convinced about the fundamentalism of his political and religious thoughts?" and so many points that he makes e.g., "what if the caterpillar's karma was to get crushed" sequence and the fungus-making- an-ant-a-zombie-to-reap-benefits-out-of-it-concept defines this part and we, the viewers get puzzled with each and every words what this character says. It apparently questions the monk's beliefs and his karma. This is a part where to some extent dullness appears just before the interval but goes to another level when it ends in the second half.Neeraj Kabi is exceptionally well in his role of a monk. Hats off to him for the workout he did for this role.

The final part takes the whole movie to another level by asking questions on humanity and why the poor always gets crushed by the rich peoples. It's a story of a stockbroker who is the recipient of a kidney, which he later discovers that it was stolen from a labor who has been part of a racket which was led by highly esteemed doctors. It changes his life's perspective and then he goes to help that poor and make things better for him. This part is totally gripping and will be highly likable by many peoples. An exceptional performance by Sohum Shah makes this part even better.

Ship Of Theseus didn't waste any time on character development. It starts from the middle of the characters' life and doesn't tell you about their ending. But it tells you the way their perception gets changed about their life.

At the start I was thinking about the title. But when the film ended I thought that this is the most appropriate title which a movie could ever have. Anand Gandhi provides us a movie of the decade and is certainly going to give Indian Cinema a new definition. He is a talent to watch out for.

I am going with 4.5 stars for Ship Of Theseus. It's not run of the mill kind of movie but if you are a movie fanatic then it's totally your cup of tea. MISS IT AT YOUR OWN RISK!.

P.S:- Twitter was heavily flooded with the praises of Ship Of Theseus, but I was skeptical regarding those.

But now the one tweet which I totally found appropriate for the movie is "After watching the movie, do a blood test. You will find the traces of the film in it".

Have been more than 5 months since I saw the film. But it surely got to be a film which will stay with me forever. A film dealing with a philosophical paradox doesn't sound exciting but this film totally surprised me. The paradox of the Ship of Theseus is an underlying layer of the film which has 3 stories. The characters in the film deal with things that challenge their beliefs and in unexpected ways. The beauty is in the treatment which is effortlessly unpredictable without ever being manipulative or calculated. You feel tremendous empathy for the characters which seems to come for the filmmakers deep understanding of the human psychology and behavior unlike most films/narratives where the author/ filmmaker try to 'design' a character for the purpose of eliciting emotions. Here its all so natural that there seems no design and that is the best part about the performances. They are real as well as really intriguing. I found the character of monk played by Neeraj Kabi to be specially intriguing. His is an amazingly natural performance and yet larger than life in some ways. Sohum Shah was a revelation. For once I thought that he may have been casted in the film for being the producer but when you see the film, he was just brilliant. His performance is one which is so subdued that it took me sometime to realize how good he is. Aida who plays the photographer also delivers a delightful performance. I guess her role was the most difficult as she plays a character which one cannot normally find references in real life or even fiction and despite that she delivers such a natural performance.

What is most surprising about the film is its technical finesse. Cinematography is the best you'll see, the film is a visual treat. It took me sometime to realise that the film is set in Bombay not because its a Bombay which you rarely ever see in Bollywood films. It was later that I got to know that the film was shot on a Canon DSLR and I couldn't believe it. Sound design and mixing is also top notch something which is rare for low budget productions(In Indian context even for big budget films). The background score is absolutely mesmerising and only comes when needed. Particular mention should be made of the Naham Janami song which plays in the background during the monk story. I really believe that this film deserves a big screen experience and that is why am so happy that it is finally releasing in India otherwise most would have either not seen it or would have to see it on small screens which does not do justice to this film.

I can go and on about the film but at this point will end at this note that do not miss this film if you get an opportunity to see it. You'll thank me for this!

Well, I'll keep this plain, short and simple. I have no clue why this film is rated so low. In my opinion this film is an exceptional piece of art. The director keeps you hooked on to the movie right from the very start. You might be left wondering what is happening here but as the movie reaches it's conclusion, you will be left mesmerized. Each story has its own moments, its own ideas. Each idea is so subtly and thoughtfully expressed, I was left spell bound.The overall experience watching this movie actually raises thoughts in your mind about the issues discussed so beautifully. I saw this one at a film festival and in my opinion, this was the best film in the fest. 10/10

Review #2.

Ship of Theseus is a very different cinematic experience. It moves you, it makes you think about life in a different way. The characters, the narrative don't ever leave you. Anand Gandhi is definitely a talent to look out for.

There are three different stories. Each with a different plot but same destination. The first one brings you in life of a girl who had lost her eyesight due to cornea and does photography. The second one is about a monk who should have an organ transplant. And the third one is about a stockbroker who just had a kidney transplant.

The stories instantaneously connect with you. It's hard to decide which one of the three is the best. I would say the three altogether make one of the finest movies ever made in India. And it would not be wrong to say that it is the best Indian movie of the year.

The performances are very real. Specially Neeraj Sir. The direction and cinematography are exceptional.

At last, I would like to say that It is not a usual Indian movie. Go with your brains and you'll experience something you've never experienced before.

I went for the movie with nil expectations though i was aware of the genre. But it impressed me beyond excellence at the end. The movie presents three stories seemingly different from one another but the way the different threads of the stories get intertwined at the end into one beautiful fabric is an absolute pleasure to the senses. As per me I perceived there were multiple layers to the story each layer contributing as an example in some way to the ship of theseus paradox. The way in which it subtly presents the fact that if something changes in us, we do not remain the same person from thereon. This change may be a change in the way we perceive the world, or a change in our belief system , or a change in our attitude towards other people. The next layer of the story is what amazed me most , which consists of bringing the three stories together to show how a human being is not just flesh and bones but comprises of ideas, emotions, beliefs etc. What makes each one of us different is our thought process, our ideas, our choices and many other things. A very simple example to state such theory could be a case of twins who share the same progeny, the some womb, the same features but end up completely different. I guess i have already said a lot, if your brain has a good appetite for thought this is the movie for you.

Well,after waiting for a long time I went for the first show and the film shocked me.The film marks a new era in Indian independent movie making.Gandhi used three inter inter related stories to find some eternal questions of mankind like life and death,salvation,purpose of life,creation,beauty etc.All these questions came up through a blind photographer,a rigid monk and a stock broker.Brilliant cinematography and music set the right flow for the movie to reach its conclusion.I can tell you that after you will come out of the theater,the movie will make u think and will ask you for the answers of the questions it raised.Till then we can wait for some more good works from the director...my rating 8/10

If one has got his/her basics in the right place, whatever is churned out (even if art) automatically scores good while transition from good to great is left to the creativity and imagination involved."Ship of Theseus" does exactly so and not only gets the basics right but also excels in each of them.With mind-blowing cinematography (How cud that be a DSLR?!!!!!), super-crisp editing,superb screenplay,superlative acting (Neeraj Kabi & Sohum Seth take a bow!!!!),music (that song in the monk story was simply amazing) and even comic reliefs there's not much room left for complaints. Now, coming to the gray area of creativity or whatever you call it, "Ship of Theseus" also scores (high enough) but may be not as seamless as its basics (off course IMO).The biggest positive that it has is not being either emotionally or intellectually manipulative.Its a treat to watch a film which is straight enough, with not much hidden in layers and yet so very subtle.Its left for the viewers to perceive once the film ends and continue the journey within.With so many chances that the director could have taken to succumb to push emotional epiphany he never compromises,not even in last reel.And once you know that the same man was involved behind "Kyunki Saas Bhi..." you understand what transformation/compromise(?) means as depicted in the film itself.To talk about drawbacks I found the film lacking in its background score.Not that the realtime sounds as in docu-feature style or absence of constant music is a problem.But more than often it doesn't do justice to the exemplary visuals or images that we see on screen.Those lash green grasses,the centipede movement,the array of photographs,the monk in white walking in rain or through huge sewage lines on both sides with black water flowing below-all of these scenes demanded some musical piece behind.The piece that would bind the film together.Also,of the three stories rather storeys only the first justifies the title while the other two are deeper and close.Yes,though it meets all regular and expected requirements, "Ship of Theseus" could have had a few more exciting requirements to its name.You can't complain,you can only wish and also wish more films like this gets a theatrical release and get the required backing (Thanks Kiran Rao).I am not sure whether this will be a life-changing film for all as selected by the Critics Circle,UK But as inspite of Neeraj Kabi,Aida El-Kashef,Vinay shukla,Sohum Seth and almost everyone else giving of Mr.Mehta (don't know the actor's name) that will stay with me for all as did the father in "A Separation", "Ship Of Theseus" also has every chance to stay with you for long.

Anand Gandhi's SHIP OF THESEUS is in one sentence an amazing story, amazingly shot. One rarely came across a film where narrative is powerful but the visuals add a whole new subtext, a new dimension to the overall experience. Without being too arty, intellectual or surreal, it is an original piece of cinema, where there are moments when you wish your characters to stay silent and they get into arguments and when you expect them to say the things, they stay silent yet speak a lot. It is a classic example of a wonderful use of the language of cinema. It engages your mind provided you have not left it at your home to watch a mindless entertainer. It is intense, sensitive thus overall a rare gem of cinema. Overall Good.

Anand Gandhi's first feature-length film is an intriguing and thought-provoking piece of Independent cinema; it deals with life, purpose and philosophy. Gandhi's prior experience with short films helps him direct the three disparate story lines with certain finesse; the stories shed some light on Theseus's Paradox and give a transcendent look at consequences arising from individual actions.

In Greek Legend, according to Plutarch, Theseus's ship was preserved, and the decayed parts were replaced piece by piece until no part of the original ship remained. Plutarch asks whether you would call it the same ship or not. The paradox might seem too confusing to discuss, but Anand Gandhi just uses this to connect the three plots through the theme of organ donation, questioning identity in the face of change. Rather than making a statement, Gandhi just raises interest and discusses various important philosophies and issues; having compelling arguments for and against the topics, it helps us being a part of the discussion.

The characters are likable and interesting. All the actors have done a commendable job, and Neeraj Kabi's brilliant performance as the Jain monk stands out. As the three stories go, the first one (with the blind Egyptian photographer) deals with behaviour to change, the second one (with the animal-rights supporting Jain monk) might seem more philosophically and intellectually orgasmic, but it's the third one (with a stock broker seeking justice for a kidney scam victim) which oozes with brutal honesty. The use of humour to lighten the serious tone of the movie is delightful.

The cinematography is spectacular. Rarely have I seen such breathtaking visuals in an Independent film; the shots have a certain poetic and aesthetic charm. The blend of far-off shots and sudden close-ups gives us an intimate look at the characters' lives.

The movie is really good, but far from perfection. 2 hours 20 minutes is too long for the movie; with better editing, it could have maintained the pace and momentum well. And as most movies with multiple story lines suffer from this, the characters lack enough depth and screen-time for us to invest ourselves in them. The first story, though the idea of a blind photographer is a bit far-fetched, suffers from an abrupt ending. The second story has many interesting viewpoints and arguments, but part of them seem off-the-book and pretentious; it suffers from an illogical ending too. The third story, though quite honest and absorbing, is quite messy and detours from the main theme of the movie.

From writing screenplay and dialogues for cheesy soap operas to an intellectual independent feature film, Anand Gandhi has come a long way; I guess his experience as a playwright and short-film director must have come in handy.

Ship of Theseus is a movie which we need but didn't really deserve right now. A lot of things have already been said about it, so with the risk of sounding repetitive, however I'll try not to be so, here are some of my thoughts: 1. To begin with, Anand Gandhi has made an utterly brilliant movie. The honesty, genuineness, and intent of the director is clear from the word go which is a sheer pleasure to see in an Indian filmmaker.

2. Three stories - totally different to each others in terms of mood and narration, yet so well transitioned that you don't even notice it. Two thumbs up for the screenplay and editing.

3. Utterly brilliant cinematography, a visual delight which mesmerizes you and grips you with every scene and its details that is on the screen. After I exited the theater, I couldn't believe I watched an Indian movie looking so beautiful. In fact, I can go on and on about the imagery. Well done! 4. Superb dialogues (and the use of no dialogues) - At times, zen, and other times, so passionate that you feel like talking to your alter ego, just like, the conversations in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Even the humorous and satirical parts don't make you feel like they are used as punches, except a couple times maybe.

5. Acting - Top notch by the all three protagonists. Relatively good performance by the other actors as well. But the three main actors are so good you long to see more of them. And the sympathies and your connections with them find their peaks in the penultimate scene.

6. Only thing where I felt I had issue is that some scenes and conversations were finished in a hurry. While one talk about something so powerful in detail, it should be a complete conversation, whereas, at times, it appears a lot of important things were skipped (esp. in story #2). Though I didn't find too many things wrong with the conversations in story 2 and narrations in story 2 and 3, it looked to me that something was amiss, they could have talked a little more, and so on. The movie could have been even more powerful, given the premise and ideas it began with. Actually, the idea is itself so big and extensive that any less would feel like incomplete. Such as, writing about this movie in 140 characters. But I guess I shouldn't complain as it's a movie where it's very difficult to have such kind of narration as well as a speech as long as that of John Galt. Anyways, I am more than glad that such things were talked about in a movie made in India.

Bravo, Anand Gandhi and the team! I stood and clapped for you all when the movie ended in the theater.

this has a little more depth than the usual bollywood fair but lets not get carried away. It is very different to the normal bollywood films in that there is no song and dance number, eye-candy or explosions however in some ways it is just as clichéd - slow, documentary style, amazing cinematography, slow, arty/pretentious, pseudo-intellectual, uneventful and did I mention ssslllloooooowwwwwww. In typical art-house style, no real story as such, more about the interesting characters and great cinematography.

Some amazing cinematography though - makes you realise just how beautiful and abused India is - I loved the scene where the monk is walking on a bridge over a disgusting river, flanked by 2 huge sewage pipes and a goat has climbed on top of one of these pipes, grazing on some sewage shrubbery.

The characters (a hard bitter talented blind(!) photographer, the proud hypocritical pseudo-intellectual monk, the passionless amoral misunderstood money maker who sees the error of his ways) are interesting although ultimately they are one dimensional and didn't evoke much empathy in me.

Having said that, I would say it is still worth watching if only for a break from the monotony of Hollywood/bollywoood/tollywood and for the popcorn.

Ship Of Theseus (2012) : Brief Review -

Ship Of Theseus and Tumbbad- Anand Gandhi raising the Bar of Indian Cinema beyond Hollywood. Ship Of Theseus is PURE CLASS! INDEED A WORLD CINEMA MASTERPIECE! Fortunately both the films of Anand Gandhi came in watchlist and unfortunately i couldn't watch any of them in Theatre. Well it doesn't matter now because both the films have left huge impact on me and how, undoubtedly highest for any bollywood films in the last decade. I have watched over 800+ Bollywood films from the last decade and here are My Top 2 Best Films of the Decade, first is Tumbbad and 2nd is Ship Of Theseus.. both coming from One Creative Genius Brain Mr. Anand Gandhi. For Tumbbad i said, A lesson not just to Hollywood but also to World Cinema that how to turn a mythological horror film into Human Masterpiece. Anyways Tumbbad was Visually stunning and very cinematic operation but Ship Of Theseus is an Artistic and Realistic Cinema scoring at it's Best. There are no dramatic moments, there's not a single shadow of something called Cinematic Liberty, everything happens so realistically, so artistically, so purely, so simply and so incredibly. Hats off to Anand Gandhi for creating this Gem of Art Cinema with human resources and intellectual thoughts from Indian Lifestyle. Ship of Theseus is a story of everyone because it explores meaning of life, death, money, identity and giving something back to the world in which we live. From cinematography to dialogues this film is like an extraordinary art exhibition. I can't believe someone did have such a vision in Bollywood to shoot a scene on Road in one take with 2 minutes of argument between 2 Highly Intellectual minds talking about Life and Death, and the second scene shot in Mumbai's Slum. Writing, Screenplay, Dialogues, Cinematography and Direction everything is Perfect and by perfect i mean they always say 'Nothing is Perfect, yes but there's always something close to Perfection'. I believe, it will take some years for Indian Cinema to produce something like this. Ship Of Theseus is a MUST WATCH for Classes, a film and an experience not to be missed at any cost. Do yourself a favour and watch this film if you want to see Indian Cinema defeating Hollywood in Realistic Intellectual Cinema. And remember the name Anand Gandhi because i am not gonna forget it anytime soon. A MASTERPIECE OF IT'S OWN KIND!

RATING - 9/10*

My Rating : 9/10

Must-watch for art house film lovers. Some great questions asked here.

Brilliant performances all round. Great, great drama.

Ship of Theseus, written and directed by Anand Gandhi, requires patience, an open mind, and a willingness to think. It's not enough to merely sit there in your seat and 'watch' the film, but to listen attentively to its characters and consider their arguments. If you're willing to make that investment, you'll be rewarded with a richly emotional, intellectual, and sensory experience.The film follows three separate stories that raise pertinent questions about identity, death, and morality. In the first, we're introduced to Aliya (Aida El-Kashef), a blind photographer who uses intuition to capture brilliant black-and- white images. A cornea transplant restores her vision, but she fears she may have lost her inspiration. In the second and most affecting story, we meet Maitreya (Neeraj Kabi), a Jain monk and staunch animal-rights activist, who is diagnosed with liver cirrhosis and must consider a transplant. On discovering that the medication that could save his life might have been tested on animals, he refuses treatment. The third story is centered on Naveen (Sohum Shah), a stockbroker and the recent recipient of a donated kidney. He becomes obsessed with bringing justice to a poor man he meets, whose kidney was illegally stolen during an appendix surgery.These three strands interconnect satisfyingly in a moving climax, and tie in neatly with the overarching philosophical idea thrown up by the film's title: Does a ship, whose every part has been replaced piece by piece, remain the same ship in the end? Gandhi applies this paradox skillfully to the human body, asking if a person who has had an organ transplant is still the same person he previously was.Giving us a nice lived-in feel of each of their worlds, Gandhi takes us inside the minds of our three protagonists, showing us what they stand for, and how they've changed over the course of the journey they undertake during the film. Each of our protagonists engages in intelligent, thought-provoking arguments, and it's hard not to come away deeply affected by some of the issues raised. The verbal sparring between the monk and a young lawyer-in-training is particularly engaging, and full of insightful gems worth considering.Languidly paced and lushly filmed, Ship of Theseus is just as rich cinematically, and benefits from terrific performances by each of the protagonists, particularly Kabi whose physical transformation as the ailing monk is a sight to behold. Gandhi gives us a fine supporting cast too, that occasionally infuses humor in a film that otherwise stings from its brutal honesty.I'm going with ten ratings for Ship of Theseus. It stimulates the one organ that popular Hindi cinema consistently ignores – the brain! Give it a chance and prepare to be dazzled.

Writer Director Anand Gandhi's "Ship Of Theseus" is a meandering, long drawn, repetitive, verbose, badly edited, loosely scripted labor of love. But make no mistake it is THE most significant film to come out of Bollywood in a long long time.

"Ship of Theseus" asks many relevant questions, probes, and enquires yet thankfully does not go overboard with "intellectual masturbation". At times it just about manages to hold audience interest even when the going gets dense and self indulgent. Gandhi also mercifully manages to bring our attention back on track just when it starts to wander with the overdose of existential questioning and never ending shots of the characters doing the same thing over and over again.

Anand Gandhi has done a commendable job of scripting a collage of 3 contemporary urban Indian fables. While Gandhi does a Hitchcockian job of infusing the movie with delicately littered random symbols, he falls woefully short when he tries to do an Inarritu's "Amores Perros" and stitch the 3 disparate stories on the same tapestry. Gandhi's lack of experience also shows with the rough edges and uneven finish of the look and feel of the film. He could have have easily done with some brevity and reduced 15 to 20 minutes of the film's run time.

In a movie that has no "known" faces, no put-on exaggerated affected histrionics, no paraphernalia, yet natural but outstanding acting from each actor in roles great or small, an honorable mention must be made of Vinay Shukla, the guy who plays Charwaka, the delicate and intuitive counter balance to Neeraj Kabi's Maitreya, the ascetic.

Debutant cinematographer Pankaj Kumar adds heft to the storytelling with lyrical composition of each shot. Audience alternately (or "duality" if you wish) feels either like a fly on the wall or an integral part of the crew observing the action and emotions unfolding in front, from close quarters. If it weren't for Kumar's spellbinding visuals, "Ship of Theseus" wouldn't have been half the film it is.

All said and done, "Ship of Theseus" is an important movie that marks an inflection point as Bollywood and especially Indian Indie movies come of age . Anand Gandhi has made a brave and commendable effort that needs to be watched, appreciated and encouraged.

PS - I cannot wait to watch Anand Gandhi's next one, supposedly belonging to horror genre, called "Tumbad".

"Ship of Theseus" is one of those rare movies which is filmed in the background of pure philosophy with performances too close to reality. Arguments between the principles and mere logic are a treat to watch..! The performances are so real that it left me shattered. i felt like everything is happening around me..! Most of the shots were long like Quentin Tarantino's movies but more realistic. There is a shot where the two characters will be discussing on road while walking,it was a very long shot but so well captured and well acted that i was speechless. A special mention can be made of cinematography which is stunning..! It captures all the minute essences of life with almost perfection. My only issues were with music which is very good but minimally used and the lack of depth in characters. But watch it for its sheer reality, extraordinary performances, engaging narration, stunning cinematography and direction.. Great job Anand Gandhi..!