Introduction –
Modern Love Mumbai Review – an ordinary story turned into a complex saga of grit, determination and aspirations. Had it not been for the Kashmiri touch and associated analogies and expressions this short film would have offered little to the already bored, restless OTT audience with diminishing attention span.
Synopsis –
Lali ( Fatima Sana Shaikh ) and Lutfi ( Bhupendra Jadawat ), a couple of Kashmiri origin, are the cross-road of their lives, especially Lutfi who is tired of the relationship. A security guard by profession, Lutfi abandons Lali without offering any reason. The dramatic exit leaves Lali in a state of shock and anger. Her frustrations multiply because she has to use an old cycle to reach her place of work ( Domestic Help / Cook ) which incidentally is located in an upmarket residential area. There is yet another hurdle. To reach the apartment she has to negotiate a steep bridge / flyover. Lali tries to pedal her way up but fails every time.
Lali keeps calling Lutfi and keeps trying to cycle her way up the bridge but fails. Halfway into the film she finds success on both fronts. However, she refuses Lutfi’s offer of coming back into her life. She tells him that he is late, that she has learnt to cross the bridge on her own.
The Kashmir Connection – Kahwa Tea
The plot loses direction at this juncture. All of a sudden Lali feels liberated, like a superwoman on multiple missions. In short, she is on a rediscovery path. She repairs the roof of her house, starts a new business by the name Raat Rani, selling Kahwa ( Kashmiri Tea ) and also gets the entire neighborhood painted with assorted colors. If that is not enough she also educates her Madam ( the place where she works as a cook ) on the finer nuances of husband-wife relationship because even she is facing a similar situation.
Analysis –
As mentioned above Raat Rani is just an ordinary story turned into a complex saga. Mega cities like Mumbai are full of such incidences. What excited us though are some of the inferences which include – comparing the boats in the sea to Shikara, apartments / huts to house boat, the fragrance of Raat Rani to women’s grit and determination.
Direction is ordinary and therefore there is nothing much to talk about.
We believe the film has been unnecessarily muffled to emulate the ‘cinematic’ look. These days most of the cinematographers play with colors and lighting styles to either cover up mistakes, simplify some of the composition hiccups or simply to glaze it for that “big screen” feel. Unfortunately, this can make the task of watching on smaller devices quite daunting. What pleased us was Fatima Sana Shaikh’s portrayal of a Kashmiri woman. Her accent and expressions are bang on and her energy throughout the film incomparable. Bhupendra Jadawat too has done a fine job.
2022 Shonali Bose John Belanger and Nilesh Maniyar 40 Minutes Amazon Prime Video