Let us begin by complimenting the writer director Anu Menon for trying to create a film, which tries to marry mathematics and motherhood- quite a task, indeed, well handled with the support of some good acting by Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra, Jishu Sengupta and Amit Sadh.
The challenge is that only a beautiful piece of computer-generated music does not create a riveting performance on stage. This well designed, well-shot, well-acted and well-directed film fails to give the audience an immersive experience in spite of so may good elements in the film.
The whole cinematographic treatment of the film has been kept soft and diaphanous which adds beauty to the vintage design of the film, but fails to generate contrasting experience especially with the initial (Bangalore/village) portion of the film. The DOP Keiko Nakhara, who has done films like London, Paris and New York, has treated this part of the film like she has treated the Hyde Park area in London. Thus the Mansion in London looks credible but the initial Bangalore/ village sequence lacks authenticity. Unfortunately this is the part, which could have resonated in the story going forward and provided emotional and visual contrast with the soft diaspora film like treatment of rest of the film.
A gripping film needs to have some moments of emotional highs and lows for the audience to have some immersive experience. Through out the film, one glides through the soft diaphanous clouds waiting for the clouds to burst open to bring in some showers of emotional roller coaster.
The idea of taking the audience on a journey of three motherhood generations was a well conceived one to create a roller coaster of a narrative, but it fails to take off, to my mind, because of the first section of the motherhood not getting drilled in enough in the film, thereby creating a ‘tiny foundation’ for a ‘ three storied building’, which the film was intending to set up. All said and done, it is definitely a Vidya Ballan show; without her nuanced shades of her acting, mannerism and body language the film could have been a rather dull viewing experience.
Mirror Shots 