Katha

The movie brilliantly captures the nuances of Indian middle class in the eighties. After the political turmoil of seventies there was a need to go back to larger issues of our common lives. How should we live together? And how basic human goodness will help us overcome any setback? Rajaram, even though a malleable character, is a true hero. The character is amazingly envisaged by Sai Pranjpe and masterfully depicted by Naseeruddin Shah. I think his agitation on hearing about the need of O -ve blood group for a young boy must go down in the history of Indian cinema as one of the most powerful scenes. His sequences with invalid Bapu are razor sharp, both in conception as well as execution. He will take care of every little need of the week before he lays claim to his right. Self-sacrifice is the hallmark of this unlikely hero of new emerging India. Youcan't miss the fact that Rajaram is modelled on god Rama. Rama is the hero and it's not coincidental that Naseer is Rajaram. Sai Pranjape takes a dig at the ideal man though, who asked his wife to go through a trial by fire. New avatar of Rama goes beyond this qualm. In the same way, Farooq, Vasudev, is modelled on god Krishna. Farooq for me was outstanding. Period. Grreat performance. The way he plays on the insecurities of people is so subtle. Sandhya (Deepti Naval) surrenders it all the moment she's led by Vasudev to say, I'm liberated.

The movie touches on all aspects of life. many layers of man-woman relationship (think about all the different couples in the movie, one by one), social satire (parties, clandestine affairs), celebration of simple life style (parathas, borrowing milk), no glossing over hard realities of our daily lives (water problem and common toilets, for instance). In all this we find life is indeed beautiful. We don't need an overdose of foreign location to be convinced of that fact.

Sai Pranjpe wrote a new epic for the modern India.

Perfect casting, excellent performances, superb coverage of Mumbai's chawl life. Nasir, Farokh and Dipti, trio delivers the best performance that will be cherished by me forever.! The songs are subtle and gel well with the overall theme.

Attention to detail and mature handling of chawl life could be matched to another work on the subject by yet another able personality Pu La Desphande. I have watched this movie umpteen times, and encourage all of my friends to not miss it.

Why do all directors have to make an "epic" these days? What happened to the good old 'story telling' without making too much about it? Why no one makes movies like these anymore?

Simply told, it is a story of Rajaram, a modern day tortoise and his friend Basu, a modern day Hare and their race against each other. As the simile suggests, Rajaram is a simple and honest clerk who doesn't let go off any opportunity to help others, even absolute strangers whereas Basu is a smooth talker and a conman who doesn't have any qualms in stealing from his own friend. Even Sandhya, Rajaram's neighbor whom he fancies for a long time gets dazzled by Basu's glitter leaving Rajaram heartbroken. Just like the classic story, will Tortoise win against Hare in these modern times? This is a satire, a tragi-comedy and character analysis at its best.

The movie was actually shot in a chawl and the real residents played their parts as the neighbors of Rajaram and Sandhya. Naseer as Rajaram, Farooq Sheikh as Basu and Deepti Naval as Sandhya fit their parts like hand in a glove. Normally you would expect Naseer to play Basu's role and Farooq to play Rajaram's role but the accomplished actors that they are they disappeared into their characters.

No gimmicks, no technical wizardry, just plain old simple art of story telling.

The title Katha means story in Hindi. The movie is about two friends Rajaram (played by Naseeruddin Shah) and Basu (Farooq Shiekh)living in a Mumbai chawl. Rajaram is the tortoise, helpful and kind but "the silent type". Basu on the other hand is what we call as a "gas bag" who brags a lot but does nothing concrete. You need to see the film to find out who wins the race The film is a light hearted comedy. Most American/European readers may not be aware of what a chawl is. A chawl is a three to four storied building where each family has a single room to itself. Chawls in Mumbai and other Indian cities has their own culture and lifestyle. This movie captures the lifestyle in the chawl authentically without making it a documentary. The directors skill lies in creating humor out of everyday situations in a chawl.

Naseeruddin Shah is excellent (as always). Farooq Shaikh does the role of a "gas bag" beautifully. Sai Paranjpee's direction makes this movie a worthwhile watch

Good things come to those who wait but by that time all the better stuff is gone. The above quote is so true in concomitant world and the movie too gives the same message quite strongly. The movie is basically a satire on the Rabbit(Farookh) - Tortoise(Naseeruddin) story. Rajaram (Naseeruddin) successfully depicts the tortoise and Basudev (Farookh) doesn't disappoint either. But the real credit for this movie goes to the auteur- Sai Paranjpye. She builds the character so well that the story despite lack of any Indian movie spice flows smoothly. Both the protagonists have done their parts superbly. Rest of caste is used beautifully to develop the two main conflicting characters. In the end the Rabbit migrates and Tortoise wins and our story teller- Daadi Maa says "Ye bhi koi jeet hui bhala" As all tortoise gets is a bouquet of wilted flower (Used metaphorically).