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By Joginder Tuteja, April 21, 2009 - 11:42 IST
MOVIE DETAILS
Cast: Preity Zinta, Balinder Johal, Vansh Bhardwaj, Ramanjit Kaur, Gourrav Sihan
Director: Deepa Mehta
Producer: Ravi Chopra, David Hamilton
Music: Mychael Danna
THE FILM
Someone needs to put a full stop on all the metaphors and pseudo intellectual references that film makers are indulging into in recent times. A few weeks back it was the 'kaala bandar' that came out of nowhere in the city of Delhi. Well, if one thought that it was mumbo-jumbo at its worst then have a look at Videsh. This time around, it's a 'kaala naag' which comes out of nowhere in Canada, even as one of the teenagers in the house keeps revolting that there are no cobras in Canada. Well, Deepa Mehta did feel that there could be one, as borne out of a lab like experiment by Preity Zinta. In this regard Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has competition. His 'kaala bandar' has made way for 'kaala naag', and if at all it makes him feel any better, then well, Deepa Mehta has messed up Videsh more than what he did with Delhi 6.
Videsh is a poorly made movie all the way. Period. It tries to be all intelligent and smart but it fails on both the counts. No, I am not even talking about how boring, monotonous and tiring it becomes after a point in time. All of that could be probably excused after a point in time but in case of Videsh, it's the sense of frustration that sets in. You fail to understand why you have to waste your precious two hours in a movie like this which, leave aside the entertainment value, doesn't even have a regular story to be told.
A slap on Preity's face is followed by a punch. A punch is followed by a kick. A kick is followed by full on throwing around that happens to her. Surprisingly, instead of feeling pity about Preity, you only start feeling pity for yourself as an audience. More than Preity who wants to walk out of her marriage, it's the audience that feels like walking out of the auditorium. And when the violence reaches its crescendo, it's the time for 'kaala - naag' to make way in her life in a special appearance.
So what exactly is this 'kaala naag' doing in the story? Well, it's the Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye moment for Preity. She starts imagining an 'icchadhaari naag' in her life who takes shape of her husband whenever her real husband is away from home after having beaten her black and blue. So this naag is now her companion in her lonely moments. Doesn't that remind a little of Paheli where it was Shah Rukh's ghost with whom Rani had more fun than her real husband?
Well, if you thought that such exasperating storyline and narrative wasn't depressing, strange and unintentionally funny enough wait for the climax. This time around Preity has to give a 'naag pariksha', something on the lines of Sita's 'agni pariksha'. Since she has to prove her purity to her husband and his entire family, Preity has to hold the naag in hand and if it doesn't bite her, then well, she is pure. This is not all, she even goes on to tie the naag on her neck and voila, there is a sense of liberation that comes in for her. She seems enlightened by the entire episode and before you know, end credits of the film start rolling. Now how is that for some twist in the tale?
PACKAGING
DVD of Videsh comes in a regular plastic case
DURATION
The film's duration is 101 minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES
None
TECHNICAL DETAILS
- The DVD does not come with 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation. In layman terms, it's in a regular format (with thick top and bottom stripes) which is associated with VCD format.
- Subtitles in English
- Punjabi language option
- Dolby Digital 5.1 and Stereo
PRICE
Rs. 299/=
CONCLUSION
For a movie under two hours, Videsh seems like a 4 hour long movie. Okay, so Preity has acted well but that's still not good enough for you to waste your time watching this film, whether at theatres or home. Dull, dark and depressing - that's exactly what this Deepa Mehta film is!
 
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