|
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
By Joginder Tuteja, March 30, 2009 - 11:17 IST
MOVIE DETAILS
Cast: Mandira Bedi, Eijaz Khan, Mahesh Manjrekar, Anupam Kher
Director: Chandrakant Kulkarni
Producer: Pritish Nandy and Rangita Pritish Nandy
Music: Sandesh Shandilya
Lyrics: Irfan Siddique, Prof. R. N. Dubey, Soumik Sen
THE FILM
Can your passion take over your mind to such an extent that you are willing to ignore some basic things that are the driving forces in your life? Perhaps yes. But what happens when you have to decide between watching a cricket match and risk getting late for your own engagement? Sounds far fetched, right? Now how could one even think of stepping out of house when it's THE big day of your life, your own engagement? Bizarre, right?
So now let me be the devil's advocate here! Yes, it can happen to people who are passionate about something in their life. For Meera (Mandira Bedi), cricket is her passion due to which she decided to have a quick visit to the stadium, watch the match and come back home on time for her engagement. Though this is the thread on which the film's basic storyline is based, for some it didn't go down well as the choice between the two options was hard to digest. After all there are only a few people who carry with them such passion, right? Well, I can cite my own example! Here it goes.
Exactly four years back, Akshay-Priyanka starrer Waqt had released. My kid was about to be born and my wife was admitted in a neighborhood hospital on the same Friday. Doctors had announced that delivery could happen any moment. So I said, "Ok doc, my other family members are there with my wife. I am going out to catch the first show of the film from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM in a nearby multiplex. I will be back in time." So yes, I DID go for the film (with all due permission from my wife) and was back in time for the delivery as well. So yes, there are after all crazy people in the world!
Meera is shown to be a similar crazy woman who can rattle down scorecards from decade old matches in a single breath. She knows the most complex rules of the game by heart and loves to mix up her vocabulary with words from the cricket dictionary. For her, the Duckworth Lewis rule is perhaps more interesting to read and teach than Pythagoras theorem even though she is a Math's teacher. One wishes though there was more of such craziness in display since one would have expected more fanaticism in her behavior and attitude during the two hour duration of the movie.
However, the director has shot the movie as a TV serial. Let aside the big canvas feel of Meerabai Not Out [pardonable since it's a small budget film], the pace, setting and scene transition too is on a lazier side that keeps your interest in the proceedings but doesn't engage you to such an extent that you can't even afford to walk out of the room for a minute to take that phone call. Moreover, even though the film has cricket as its backdrop, there is not a single scene where audience is taken inside a stadium.
What works for the movie though is its sweet and simple middle class milieu that lends authenticity to the proceedings. Smiles keep coming on and off though you don't really fall off your couch (or bed) even once. Entry of Eijaz Khan is a good inclusion not just in the film's script but also the industry. He is a complete natural and is so much at ease for his very first film. His dialogue delivery is charming and he is someone who deserves to be seen a lot more in the coming days. Watch out for his interaction with Anupam Kher where he practically breaks all the myths as set from the time of DDLJ father-son bonding and instead brings in reality to the scenes and dialogues.
Whatever little promotion that was carried out for Meerabai Not Out was all misleading. First and foremost the new look (short hair) that Mandira Bedi is currently carrying was widely publicized even though in the film she was carrying the same old (and far better) long haired look throughout. Moreover, Anil Kumble's name and picture were widely publicized but the fact is that the cricketer is just referenced at a few places in the movie; he is certainly not THE intrinsic part of the movie. Third thing is the title which doesn't convey any idea about the film at all. No wonder, it was hard to get audience into theaters for the film.
PACKAGING
The DVD comes in a paper packing but it is still striking enough to catch your attention
DURATION
The film's duration is 115 minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES
The DVD doesn't come with any special features
TECHNICAL DETAILS
- 16X9 Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation
- No subtitles
- Dolby Digital 5.1
PRICE
Rs. 199/=
CONCLUSION
In the end, Meerabai Not Out turns out to be a decent home video watch. Of course there wasn't much in it for a theatrical viewing but you won't mind catching it on the telly once.
  
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
