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By Taran
Adarsh, August 10, 2007 - 02:00 IST
 Pure and unadulterated -- two words that do justice to
Vishal Bhardwaj's cinematic adaptation of Ruskin
Bond's novella THE BLUE UMBRELLA. That Vishal is an
adept storyteller is known by now. In THE BLUE
UMBRELLA, he goes back to his directorial debut. If
MAKDEE was about a village girl and a witch, THE BLUE
UMBRELLA is about an umbrella that becomes the object
of envy in a hamlet in Himachal Pradesh.
Stories like the one narrated in THE BLUE UMBRELLA are
a rarity today, since the focus is on a large canvas
and larger than life stars. THE BLUE UMBRELLA is set
in a hamlet and essentially revolves around an
umbrella, a kid and a tea stall owner.
The handling of the subject material is interesting,
but the fact remains that the film has its
limitations. It caters to a small section of
moviegoers, the connoisseurs of cinema, thereby
restricting its appeal to select multiplexes in select
cities.
The story unfurls with the discovery of a vibrant blue
umbrella by Biniya [Shreya Sharma], an eleven-year-old
girl from an idyllic mountain village in North India.
She has never seen anything more striking and
beautiful. Neither has Nandkishore Khatri [Pankaj
Kapur].
Khatri runs a small tea stall in the village. He is a
miser who has a fondness for pickles and swindling
kids off their little possessions. Khatri is smitten
by the beauty of the umbrella and goes to remarkable
lengths to acquire it, but fails miserably.
However, Khatri is not the only one to covet the
umbrella. The umbrella's arrival disturbs the
tranquility and harmony of the village. Biniya's
secret weapon gives her an enviable power over the
small town, as the umbrella assumes mythical status.
One fine day, the umbrella goes missing…
 As a storyteller, Vishal Bhardwaj has a knack of
narrating a story well and also extracting wonderful
performances from the cast. In THE BLUE UMBRELLA, the
director succeeds in conveying a message [greed can
ruin the best of relationships] forcefully towards the
end, when the entire village boycotts Pankaj Kapur for
robbing the umbrella. The second hour, in particular
the concluding reels, are highly absorbing.
However, the film can do with some trimming in the
second hour. Cinematography is inconsistent. Why is
the lighting too dark at times, especially during
indoor sequences? Otherwise, the outdoor work is
remarkable.
Pankaj Kapur is in top form yet again, although, at
times, his dialogues aren't audible. Shreya Sharma is
a terrific discovery. She stands on her feet, despite
being pitted with a towering performer like Kapur. The
remaining cast is alright.
On the whole, THE BLUE UMBRELLA is a well-made film,
but it's for a handful of viewers in a handful of
cities. More for the Festival circuit.
Rating:- [critique] * * *.
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