Movie Review: NIL BATTEY SANNATA
Simple, honest and heart touching.
Nil Battey Sannata is an upcoming movie starring Swara Bhaskar in the lead role along with Ratna Pathak, Pankaj Tirpathi and Ria . Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari debuts as a director with this film and we have to say she strikes gold.
PLOT
It sets up an emotion-filled story of a single mother, Chanda Sahay (Swara Bhaskar), trying to raise her daughter Apeksha (Ria Shukla) who is notorious and outspoken and uninterested in studying. She is very bad in mathematics. Seeing the carefree behaviour of her daughter, Swara remains worried and consults Ratna Pathak, who advises her to work harder and study herself (Swara also hasn’t finished her 10th standard). The first half of the movie will show how a mother urges to make her daughter pass metric. Few dialogues like ‘bai ki beti bai hi ban sakti hai’ and ‘garib who hote hai jinke pas sapne nhi hote’ will numb your eyes. The class scenes will definitely be a retrospect for all students and how maths still continues to be a nightmare.
The second half is more of an emotional bonding and how the daughter fulfils her mother’s dreams, and the teachings the mother gives to achieve her goals. In a more simplistic film, perhaps, this is where comedy might ensue, and although there’s plenty of light-heartedness on display (and a broad comic turn from the school’s principal), the mother’s move into her daughter’s school setting is actually the catalyst for some far more nuanced drama around what it means to succeed at school and how this can lead to dreams of a better life. For all that is excellent in the film, and particularly Bhaskar’s spirited performance (much though she looks too young to have a teenage daughter), it does all feel a little bit sanitized at times. Ria Shukla too does a great job as the rebellious teenage daughter. Her act is captivating enough. Pankaj Tripathi is more often seen pulling off negative roles but it is a welcome change to see him like this. Only an actor of his caliber can pull off a role this sweet. Ratna Pathak Shah is effortlessly good in her role of the employer.
DIRECTION
The movie is shot in a way more befitting the director’s advertising background, with a sheen of sumptuous colours and beautiful textures — but then again, this is unashamedly a family-friendly melodrama which follows a traditional structure of conflict and resolution. Perhaps instead it’s best to embrace it as a mother’s emotional journey in order to protect and nurture her daughter. Director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari says, “The title is slang, which means being an absolute zero or incompetent, in Uttar Pradesh. So we thought why not introduce the country to this quirky sounding title. ‘Nil Battey Sannata’ is a family entertainer that is close to my spirit. Irrespective of one’s past, everyone has the right to change their present for a positive future.” The slice of life film has so much to offer emotionally that it connects instantly. Capturing the mother-daughter spirit astoundingly, it also celebrates the beauty of education. The kind of confidence that it provides to a person is shown beautifully in this film.
VERDICT
This film is a beautiful mother-daughter story that will no matter what be relatable to everyone from their growing up years. These are the kind of films that prove cinema is all about story-telling and not star values!
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