Hari Om

I saw this film at the Seattle International Film Festival in a full house of avid movie buffs and Indian ex-pats. The film is amazingly beautiful and smooth flowing for a first film. The direction is self assured, especially with locals who were recruited on the fly for extras and bit parts. While the plot and story line is elementary to nonexistent, the pleasures of watching the performances and scenery offset the lack. The soundtrack to this film is a big attraction to world music lovers. If you want to see what can be done in 45 days, with a different location every day, check out Hari Om for inspiration. It was not disclosed in the Q & A, but I imagine Hollywood could take a lesson in budget film-making by learning from this director.

I loved this film, which I have just seen at the Philadelphia film festival. In March 2005 I went to India with 2 friends, and this movie was very real. I related to everything, and savored every moment. The characters are believable, the story poignant and the ending realistic, but not sentimental. I also enjoyed the discussion with the director after the showing. This movie shows very well the blending, but not complete mixing of 2 worlds (East and West). The supporting cast was wonderful, depicting the life a tourist encounters in India quite realistically. The humor is subtle, and at times dry, and this makes it all the more realistic, as it is woven into the daily escapades of the characters. It is so easy to identify with each of the situations portrayed.

This Rajasthan-set film, "Hari Om", has the immensely likable Vijay Raaz (the wedding planner from "Monsoon Wedding") as its hero, but the vehicle (no pun intended, even though he portrays a rickshaw driver in the film) is a poor one that doesn't showcase his considerable comedic talent and goofy charm. An arrogant young Frenchman (big cliché: aren't all Frenchmen reputed to be arrogant?!) and his dim-witted pretty girlfriend are traveling through Rajasthan on the Palace-on-Wheels train when they quarrel, and the girl takes off on her own. She engages the rickshaw driver, who himself is on the run from local goons, and they set off on a journey through the picturesque countryside. All three characters are irritatingly idiotic and poorly written, but the Rajasthani landscape is stunning. I completely tuned out the uninteresting leads and focused instead on the pleasures of the Rajasthani terrain and architecture. Having only recently been there and seen a little bit of it, I was mesmerized by the myriad colors, the harsh beauty, and the vibrant, fascinating minor players, most of whom are untrained actors...just everyday Rajasthani folk. It was good to see the character actor A. K. Hangal, who looks like he must be at least 300 years old, in a couple of scenes. Bless him for continuing to act. That said, I must tell you that this film ended up a crowd-pleaser at the Vancouver International Film Festival: additional screenings were scheduled by popular demand. So what do I know?

On one level, Hari Om is a film using a familiar genre - the road movie - to tell a familiar story: curious Westerner explores the mysterious East. But at its heart, the film is about two people, a young French beauty (Isa) bent on experiencing life to the fullest and a motorized rickshaw driver (Hari Om) with Bollywood aspirations, from vastly different cultures, their slowly growing attraction for each other, and the beautiful mad chaos that is India today. The gap between them can never be bridged, but the director succeeds in bringing the two as close to the brink of an affair as possible without damaging the story's plausibility. India and its people are essential ingredients of the narrative, and except for the main characters, the roles are played beautifully and persuasively by locals recruited during the film's production while on the road between the Indian towns and villages that form the film's setting. One major negative for this viewer: a Keystone Kops chase near the film's conclusion as Hari flees mobsters bent on collecting a gambling debt. But the closing scenes where Isa and Hari bid farewell are poignant and unforgettable.

I was so happy to learn that Hari Om will finally be theatrically released in 2007. I saw this film three years ago at the Vancouver International film Festival and have been waiting for it's release ever since so I could send everyone I know to see it. It's like taking a trip to India....colorful, magical, thought provoking. Aside from one rather strange Hollywood style auto rickshaw chase scene this movie is very realistic. This is not a Bollywood style song and dance movie but it does have drama and romance and humor. The interactions between the Indian taxi driver and the french tourist are a good reflection on the fundamental differences between Eastern and Western life styles and philosophy. The characters are a little broadly drawn but the acting was very good. Visually this movie is a treat as you really do get a sense of what driving through Rajasthan is like...dreamlike. Sometimes it's hard to believe everything you are seeing and experiencing is real...the movie has that same quality. Great soundtrack too!