Hera Pheri

I didn’t think of the title before I saw the film and now I realize the aptness of the title with the events that have unfolded. We see a mismatch, a ‘herpher’ which is the central plot of the film.

I felt that the narrative was well structured, simple and logical with all motivations firmly established leading to a certain response to the event unfolding, the phone ringing.

The wrong phone no. was well taken care of with it not being seen as a thing of convenience but as a small mistake which can lead to dramatic changes to the lives of our characters.

I liked the scene with Baburao describing his house to Shyam, mixing the realities in such a subtle way,”gaana nahi aata hai toh sikhna padega,nahi toh 2 kilometer door patri pe”

Before Raju returned with the bag, I felt that he had flown away with the bag and the first song was in fact demonstrating his use of money, but I was wrong and it was not so. I felt that the first song could establish Raju as an ambitious but notorious man.

Andhadhun

Premise

Young Pianist Akash becomes a witness of the murder of acting-veteran Pramod Sinha while acting blind. As he poses a threat and his act revealed, the murderers try to eliminate him. However he escapes his death and secures help from some organ racketeers for extorting money from the murderers.

Major Conflict

The tussle between Akash and duo Simmi & Manohar ; for Akash it was walking away safe whereas for them it was Akash’s elimination at all costs.

Climactic Point

I consider the climactic point when Sophie leaves Akash after she sees Simmi with him, leaving him very vulnerable for the duo to attack him.

About the Story

The story was weak considering that certain important things were not established properly and many things were left to coincidence.

When Sophie meets Akash for the first time. Akash reaching the same police station Manohar officiated to report Pramod Sinha’s death. Akash reaching Simmi’s flat just when Mrs. Dysa was pushed by Simmi.

An important point was Akash was picked up by the organ racketeers to smuggle his organs and not by any ordinary person who took him to a nearby hospital for proper first aid and treatment. This should have been established properly.

The scene where Sophie spends the night at Akash’s place, does not do anything vital in moving the story forward (as far as I feel it, Sophie does nothing vital in the story). Also there is no confession or important thing that is established which changes the relation between Sophie and Akash on a deeper level. These 4-5 minutes could be used to establish the organ racket which goes on(maybe). A very brutal act as murder has been shown very lightly even by simple folks like Simmi Sinha.

Talk on Characters

Akash- It was difficult to empathize with Akash at difficult points. Normally a person would have revealed about such a brutal incident quite early to his close ones. He only make an effort to tell Sophie when it is too late after Mrs. Dysa is dead. He does not care to tell Daani as well. Even after Mrs. Dysa’s death he return back to his room alone and unsafe when he could have gone to a public place and called Sophie to tell her everything about it.

Sophie Sophie as previously said had no role whatsoever in the central plot and was reduced merely to an instrument linking Akash to Pramod Sinha. Again there would have been thousands of questions in her head after she sees Simmi with Akash but she does not care to ask him and just immerses into the idea that he cheated her. This is not what we generally do if we love someone just as their relation was built up in that night scene.

Manohar He was one of the characters which I could empathize with. He took his decisions actively to save himself from any harm. He went to Akash’s home to make sure that he is blind. He informs Simmi of Mrs Dysa. He switches sides when he sees that his own house is in danger.

Simmi She was also the active character, one of the things that I felt was when she went to Franco’s on her anniversary. I felt that she went there only to see whether Akash was actually blind, in the film a lot of the scene was shooted from Akash’s pov where he was concentrating on Simmi. So she would have got a hint that he is not blind just that she got fully confirmed of it after Mrs. Dysa’s death.

Only Yesterday

What I liked most in the movie was how the Japanese Culture and values formed such a subtle yet powerful layer spreading its fragrance throughout the film. I also loved the continuity throughout the film with no flashback seeming enforced but comes naturally to the mind even If I was Taeko, I would have had similar experiences. Also thinking about the title after watching for about half an hour makes it so clear, we all feel our childhood happened only yesterday.

On second watching( actually bits and pieces) I felt that the climactic point was when Taeko was on the verge of sleeping on the train and saying to herself “With a message for me to ponder and to rethink my life”. At this point we realize what this film is about, how Taeko is going to lose herself in the countryside to find her true side. Just remembering at this same point I realize one of our Mahatma Gandhi’s quote-” The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others” . Also this small scene where she talks about this was such a short crisp one and just as we read of in “Letters to a Young Poet” “Ask yourself in the stillest hour of your night -”must I write?”” it feels the same way where something big is done in the simplest way.

Two Scenes- one where she talks about dividing fractions and the other where she was talking of the boy Abe. These two scenes brought out greater themes which have a universal appeal. The dividing fractions was a big revelation to Taeko’s character with her imagining things in her brain and seeing things in the larger picture than just obeying some petty orders. It was directly brought in by Toshio how there was an information dissemination from the cities to the villages with the rurals blindly following orders without putting their thoughts into it. This also speaks of the migration problem which every country has faced where the rurals leave to the cities. In fact this is a theme which runs central to the story with Taeko contemplating between her wishes and her realities. The second scene beautifully portrays how we start carrying out diplomatic relations as we grow older and consider each one to be important consciously or unconsciously or even in the wake of hurting them, we act nice to everyone around, remember Joel from ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND “ I was trying to be nice”.

I would like to talk about the period of the film, this was a period when there was no mobile phones or otherwise the story presented to us would become difficult to accept especially the resolution because it can be expected that Taeko may wish to talk more to Toshio which she could do even from the city and doesn’t necessary have to stay back because marriage is indeed a big thing and people don’t marry each other now on just knowing each other for 10 days.