What one sees in his or her thoughts also forms a world of illusions around him or her. It is the thought that makes the perception of the thing around. Worldly forms and structures have always fascinated thinkers, and the late director Anant Balani too was one of them. Having started his career with the Zeenat Aman film 'Gawaahi' long ago, he shot to limelight with his first commercial film with Salman Khan and Raveena Tandon (her debut film) 'Patthar Ke Phool'. But, Balani could not meet success in his first stint as a film director. His last film as a director 'Ek Din 24 Ghante' released this week, makes path in between forms and structures of life. Black and white images, stark grays, pristine white, opaque glows and many more, all these form a part of jigsaw puzzle. And, it is this that Balani perfected in his last days of life be it in his film 'Joggers' Park' or 'Mumbai Matinee'. Balani would be referred in the history of cinema as a director who always dared to be different from his contemporaries. And, why only competitions from others, he seems to have been competing with himself too. Otherwise there was no reason for a director working on four films simultaneously i.e. 'Joggers' Park', 'Mumbai Matinee', 'Ek Din 24 Ghante' and 'Chameli' (now Sudhir Mishra has taken over reins of this film) and still trying to leave his mark though each film was poles apart from the other. Salute to his genius!
'Ek Din 24 Ghante' is not a routine film from the Bollywood stable. Watch it for the sake of modernity of thoughts and uniqueness of narration. 'Ek Din 24 Ghante' is a story of Sameera (Nandita Das). She is full of images in her vision. To be more precise we can say that she is living with a kaleidoscope in her head. These images would not let live her in peace. Wherever she goes these images follow her. They haunt her when she sleeps; they torment her when she is awake. Sameera has found a way to live her life this way. She manages to find a balance between the real and her illusory world. Viren (Rahul Bose) happens to come into her life. Viren too lives in illusions but his dreams are of a different kind. Viren is a gambler. So he is running behind the glitter that seems so close to him but is still miles ahead of him. You name the game and he has gambled on that. He loves to do that. But on the personal side, Viren is an easy going, witty and ever smiling man. Sameera finds solace in the company of Viren. However Viren is not at peace. And he cannot be even if he tries to do so. He has lost huge money in gamble, and gambling den owners are after his life. He has to return their money and now the onus of doing so falls on Sameera. She has only a day left to do so. In these 24 ghante (hours), life will come to her not in illusions but in reality.
As production notes of the film claim, Balani has tried hard to make 'Ek Din 24 Ghante' an experience that would create most frought time span lived by any one around. Balani has set 'Ek Din 24 Ghante' in real time and this is a new experiment for Bollywood. Not many directors have tried to do so in the past except for films like 'Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin' where director Sudhir Mishra tried to create a pacey yet uneasy atmosphere with Nirmal Pandey, Saurabh Shukla, Smriti Mishra and others. Balani has not been lucky enough to find an appropriate marketing strategy and release time for his film. But still he manages to bring out the best from his cast and crew. Having created this storyline himself, Balani has heavily relied on his two colleagues, cinematographer Sanjay Nair and editor Avinash Walzade. Sameer's work was a tougher task, as Balani had to roam around in the whole Mumbai capturing some of the unseen sequences shot in and around Mumbai. Nair is also a good player of camera movements. With his work, Balani has managed to create the right kind of ambience required for this kind of film. It is camera that works as a narrator and anchor in 'Ek Din 24 Ghante'. Avinash's scissors have only helped in this task. He has used his chopping tool aptly and has presented the film in a crisp form.
Balani has also got good support from his cast. Nandita Das, who was last seen in Padam Kumar's 'Supari' playing a woman don, gives one of her best performances till date. She has got the struggle of life painted on the screen so beautifully with her well-worked emotions and grins that the film becomes a presentation of Nandita's untapped talent. Balani has been a master for heroines. He knows how to make his heroine look authentic on screen. Raveena will certainly agree to that and so will do Perizad Zorabian.. And now Nandita Das has been added to this list. Nandita's co-star Rahul Bose has also worked with Balani in his last film 'Mumbai Matinee'. Bose seems to have developed a knack for these kinds of roles. In fact, it is his role that works as a catalyst in 'Ek Din 24 Ghante'. Vineet Kumar as Patel And Piyush Mishra as the Inspector also do their roles aptly. Child artist Baby Nidhi (who plays Baby Sameera) too deserves special mention here. Music director Sanju Chakravarti has tried to march in tandem with the film's mood with the help of lyricist Dr. Deepak Sneh. Despite this, the result is a mixed one. On the whole, 'Ek Din 24 Ghante' will attract the viewers in metros, especially in multiplexes. People, who have been dying to see a new film for the last fortnight or so, may find a new kind of feel in this movie. 'Ek Din 24 Ghante' promises to be ahead of its time and manages to entertain those who are sick of Mumbai Masala films.
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| Reviewed By: Gaurav |
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