Mesmerizing blue, against the background of bright alpine greenery. It's magical. For many people, each new day is similar to the previous one. Grayness, sameness, some kind of “one-sidedness”, pessimism. Every day we are in a hurry... To work, to school, to interviews, etc. But there are so many new, interesting and unusual things around us. And to see it all, you just have to stop looking at your feet. This beautiful film is about what can happen if you discover something new every day, something you haven’t noticed before. And this director brought to the viewer. Such a simple plot, but so much in it vital
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Be sure to watch this film, maybe it will help you in the future to discover the brightness and emotionality of all the colors of nature and around what is happening. I must say, I like this unusual approach to things. The director was able to see a funny character in the umbrella. We often look at the sky, the sun, trees and admire them, but after all, things created by man can also have their own story, even if the one shown in this film. This umbrella is very funny. I wouldn't have thought it was possible to convey the emotions of an umbrella in lines, dots and lines. A very pleasant musical accompaniment of the film, also sets the viewer on a romantic wave.
Vishal Bharadwaj made a name for himself with his Shakespearean adaptations of McBull and Omkara. But he made another film, Blue Umbrella (although it’s not blue here, but bright blue, but incredibly beautiful), which even took place at several festivals. This is a small, beautiful film, the plot of which is based on the novel of the same name by the British-Indian writer Raskin Bond, as a parable. Bharadvaj reduces almost everything to a triangle in the relationship between the girl, the old man and the umbrella, which is extremely skillful for this kind of narrative. The umbrella is native to Japan, small, beautiful, it radiates charm and beauty with its bright blue color. Bharadwaj removes this metaphor of the beautiful in life - elegantly in the majestic landscapes of Himachal Pradesh and makes it an almost magical object.
Precisely because the film is built as a parable, it follows certain patterns. But the main moral of the film - "Greed is bad" (or do not encroach on someone else's good). The movie is definitely worth watching. Pankaj Kapoor plays fascinatingly, and history attracts with its easily accessible, but beautifully presented morality.
The main heroine of the story - Bindia (Shreya Sharma), a precocious girl who lives in a picturesque mountain village located in northern India, which is a stopover for tourists on their way through the mountains. Once Bindia meets a group of Japanese tourists and exchanges his lucky talisman for a beautiful blue umbrella in the Japanese style. The umbrella stands out among the alpine greens, and Bindia and its umbrella become the main attraction of the village. Tourists are photographed with her as they stop at a local diner run by an old man named Nanda (Pankaj Kapoor).
Nanda is fascinated by the beauty of the umbrella and craves it, like several other adults in the village. He tries to trick and bribe the girl to give him an umbrella, but she does not give in. She goes everywhere with this umbrella, walks with it everywhere in all weather, does not let it out of her hands even at night when she puts it next to her. When the umbrella was stolen one morning, Nanda was the prime suspect. After some time Nanda is the owner of the same umbrella as the Bindia, only bright red. He walks around cheerfully, letting impatient residents touch his umbrella and pose majestically with tourists who want to take a picture with him. But it's not as simple as it seems. Bindia still suspects him.
The natural landscapes of the village are fantastic, and Bharadvaj sometimes switches the camera to different angles to capture light from different angles and give the village a surreal glow. Winter comes after the umbrella is stolen and the snow has an unreal blue hue, as if repeating the sadness of Bindiya.
This is a wonderful parable about the difference between justice and revenge, and the liberating power of forgiveness. Although, of course, the real power of the film lies in two things - the brilliant performance of Pankaja Kapoor and the experiments of Vishal Bharadwaja in any of the things, be it camera, music or editing.
Pankaj Kapoor, shows the character of his character brilliantly. Every intonation, every movement, every dialogue, makes him a person, albeit degenerated, rejected and abandoned by all, but a person. His eyes very vividly show all his feelings raging in his soul. It is impossible to see without tears.
When a song is shown in which Bindia dances with her umbrella with great care, it really lays the groundwork for the climax of the film for me - the character of the child is very obvious. Most children wouldn’t even let them touch something they’re crazy about, but for a poor old woman, she’s willing to sacrifice her umbrella, which has become a real jewel in her life.
The umbrella is really amazing, a richly decorated creation of Japanese origin. It opens, forming a superb blue circle, beautifully contrasting with the often snowy background of Himachal Pradesh. Bindia, a friendly girl, easily shares her acquisition with friends, but steadfastly resists any suggestions of adults trying to get her umbrella. As she jumps happily through the village, a few eyes devour her eyes, planning to take possession of this umbrella.
It’s a powerful movie where the umbrella is the ultimate metaphor and can symbolize anything for anyone. Umbrella means desire and status, love and greed, and creates a deep, simplified story of a person and emotions. Vishal has always been one of the most interesting directors in the industry.
The thinking and culture of the people of northern India are quite different from that of the rest of India. The culmination, in which the umbrella is a symbol, and both Nanda and Bindia have learned something new for themselves, that love and forgiveness are real power, there is nothing higher than that.
I recommend you to watch it, not even if you want to watch it. This charm cannot be missed.
10 out of 10