a rare gem: The Blue Umbrella

So, as the movie starts, you see an entire land covered with snow and amidst the misty fog, a small girl circling under a mysteriously enchanting umbrella. The starting credits say it’s a classic. These are not the movies that you get to see in abundance, these are treasures kept only for the worthy and the ones who really wish to have it. The Blue Umbrella is in a true sense a classic movie.

Movie is pure, bed-time story-like. It requires masterful handling as a director. All of the sets, situations, places, people’s dresses and the objects need to convey a sense of subtleness of a short-story straight out of a novel. It’s like you are reading it.

It also requires masterful characterization. Vishal Bharadwaj for once puts too much emphasis in Pankaj Kapur’s character that it almost seems that other characters didn’t get what they should have. Blue Umbrella also as an enchanting object doesn’t really have much of its own. Surely, blue umbrella’s beholder, the little Biniya (VB’s daughter) and the envious shopkeeper (Pankaj Kapur) do get a fair deal.

But there are little wonders which are hidden inside both these characters. For an instance, the bartering habit of the Mr.Khatri, his relationship with his folly- the little Ramlal and the part when that little kid suggests Khatri to steal the Blue Umbrella and Khatri’s denial are just wonderful. So is the spunky Biniya- the one who trades her taaveez for an enchanting Chinese umbrella. And it’s all about the umbrella and the emotions attached to that petty thing. It’s a sweet, simple story which gets the kind of treatment it requires.

Blue Umbrella becomes a classic because of Pankaj Kapur. If there are actors in India who are worthy enough to create a classic, then Pankaj Kapur will surely head the list. His rendition of Khatri is so beautiful that you want to see him as much as possible. But in the end it’s the story and the way it has been handled by the director that takes your breath away. Vishal Bharadwaj does a fantastic job to put an honest, sweet story in front of the audience. Talking of technical aspects, the movie is a delight to watch. Screenplay is brilliant. Flow of the movie is very lucid.

On the whole, Blue Umbrella is a small, sweet story, sublime in a way and will have its own place in the hearts of the one who seek it.