An unfamiliar role ...

i am no film critic ... somehow my motto has always been to watch a movie in order to enjoy it ... and leave the dissection bit to others more favourably inclined towards it ... and perhaps more 'qualified' to do it too ... but somehow this time i couldn't resist the urge ...

Aparna Sen, in her directorial career, has managed to carve out quite a niche for herself (and in the process for her daughter Konkona too, not taking anything away from her as an actress) ... her forte would appear to be thought-provoking cinema that address contemporary issues and also provide sensitive insights into relationships between the characters of her story ... "Mr. And Mrs. Iyer" and "Unishe April" being cases in point ... i had similar expectations from her latest (or perhaps not-so-latest) venture - "15 Park Avenue" ... and she did not disappoint ...

the story concerns a family of three contrasting women - Anjali, the divorced elder daughter, played by Shabana Azmi ... her Schizophrenic younger sister, Mithali, played by Konkona, and their widowed mother, Mrs. Mathur, played by Waheeda Rahman ... the dynamics of the family are quite complex ... Mithali's mental condition is cause for much anguish in the family and they are forced to resort to a specialist's treatment who suggests a holiday away from the city as a possible, if only temporary solution ... on their trip away to Bhutan, they cross paths with Mithali's ex-fiancee Jojo, played by Rahul Bose ... interestingly enough, Mithali, as a consequence of her affliction, lives in a wholly different world - one in which Jojo is her husband, and she, a mother of five ... Jojo, who is now married, with 2 kids, and who had left Mithali in her hour of need, feels in part responsible for her condition and decides to help her ... his decision is met with indignation by his wife, who feels she is somehow losing him to his Schizophrenic ex-fiancee ... Jojo has made his decision however, and takes Mithali to find the house where she 'lives' - at 15 Park Avenue ... and she does ...

the film was quite watchable and featured great performances from all and sundry ... Shabana Azmi fitted the role of a scholar and single-minded woman like a glove ... Konkona Sen Sharma was quite amazing in her portrayal of the mentally unstable Mithali ... and Waheeda Rahman was completely believable in a touching portrayal of the anguished mother watching her daughter suffer ... personally though i felt that the ending of the movie was a bit of a let-down ... and perhaps several alternatives, different from the run-of-the-mill 'lived happily ever after', did exist ... but then that's the director's perspective ...

for further details you better go watch the movie ...