The Good Road

I do not understand why this movie was even in the selection for the Indian offer to the Oscars. I watched it, because of the Oscar hype. The concept, though unoriginal, was interesting and the script was decent. The treatment and the direction were abysmal. The performances were not convincing, except maybe by the child actors. There are many movies made with low budgets but are brilliant in every aspect. Salaam Bombay is a fine example. 'The Good Road' lacked decent direction and showed mediocre acting. It could have been a brilliant film but failed in very important aspects. On another note, I am still confused why this was selected over 'The Lunchbox' for the Oscar contention.

Let's not compare movies here, for God's sake. The Lunchbox is a fine authentic movie. The Good Road is adventurous, rusty & indigenous. But, to be frank, the epistolary drama would've had a better chance at Oscars.

Talking about three partially inter-connected stories, The Good Road moves with a gradual pace. A kid accidentally left out in a local diner as his parents swoosh off in their jeep, a small girl trying to get to her granny & an illegal deal involving two cocky truck drivers - the story connects at the end chafing the low story-depth it had carved since the beginning. The implications are high & vague at the same time, as the plot talks about parents' carelessness towards their children during trips, corruption among policemen, how hapless truck drivers get involved into illegal deals, how young women get lured into whorehouses & regard it as their homes in a fore-course and it is the will of a person that drives him/her towards something. Out of line, the plot concentrates on the story of the kid & the truck drivers & ounce of humanity that joins them together.

Now, all this is told in a slightly rough manner. It totally depends on the viewer, given the DVD English subtitles suck to core & are inappropriate, too. Apart from that, the cinematography & direction is fine. Cast performance by seemingly amateur actors is okay. Dialog delivery is great, so is the music. Locations are fine.

I am disappointed with the camera work & editing, though, mostly as the lighting works against it. Summing it all up, The Good Road is an average road flick which tries hard to succeed harnessing innocence of children, yet ends up as a partial winner.

BOTTOM LINE: An average afternoon-watch flick, not to be taken seriously. As a matter fact, some elements also seem to be cooked-up. And about the Oscar, Indians can expect another loss at a time when countries like Pakistan are leaving no stone unturned to send a film for the first time in 50 years. 6.2 out of 10!

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

Profanity: Very Strong | Vulgarity/Nudity: No | Violence: Mild | Gore: No | Alcohol/Drugs: No | Smoking: Mediocre | Porn: No

I came to know about this movie from the news. I was eager to watch "What" Oscar material this movie has.

As an art lover, I thoroughly enjoyed the cinematography but that was all the movie had to offer to me. There are some incidents with policemen which will make you smile during the serious drama. The director failed to create "seriousness" in the events. Nothing wrong with the story but it needed justice with direction and acting.

Dialog deliveries of all characters were in "sophisticated Gujarati" except Pappu and Shaukat.

Shaukat was a good character and he acted really well.

Don't watch this movie for entertainment, just go with the flow. I wish the movie good luck for the Oscars.

Watched both The good road and The lunchbox and while both were good films but the later one brings more artistic values and deserved to be in the Oscar much more than this!

A truck driver, unable to support his extended family properly, gets some outside help to stage an accident for insurance claims; a couple, on their journey through rural Gujarat, finds their son missing due to their carelessness; a small girl, who on her way to her grandmother's house, accidentally and unwittingly halts at a place which is darker than it appears to be. Three interesting stories, beautifully entwined with each other, keeps you hooked till the very end. Though the screenplay is thought-provoking, the movie ultimately fails to have any sort of impact on you. The overall acting is just okay; the performance by the two small kids and the truck people really stand out, and is quite commendable.

The cinematography is spectacular, and elegantly captures the rural Gujarat; it adds to the beauty of the stories. The music also helps create a good feel to the film.

With a better screenplay, a superior direction, and more skillful acting, the movie could have had better impact on the viewers. Though the movie doesn't bore you in its 90 minute long well-paced screenplay, ultimately it becomes one of those movies which can be seen and forgotten.