Iranian auteur Majid Majidi has a penchant for telling stories of common people who may otherwise be ignored. It is his endearing love for human relationships and life that we see in his previous films like The Song of Sparrows and Children of Heaven. In his latest outing, Beyond the Clouds, Majidi is back at capturing life as it is—with all its dichotomies.
Beyond The Clouds, for which he left the confines of Iran and explored Mumbai for the first time, unravels life lessons told through the journey of two orphaned siblings. Twenty-something Amir (Ishaan Khatter), orphaned at a young age, is caught in a situation where he needs money to get his elder sister Tara (Malavika Mohanan), out of jail. Tara has ended up in jail after hitting Akshi (Gautam Ghose), a middle-aged man from Dhobi Ghat, where she also works, who tried to force himself on her. Amir is desperate enough to go beyond drug-peddling—his regular source of income. How far will he go?
Like most of his earlier films, Majidi’s lead protagonists are poor. They fight a battle everyday to live a life of comfort, while struggling to get away from the darkness that engulfs them.
Majidi, however, is a master at keeping the plot light even when dealing with the graveness of life. He throws in a bunch of kids into the lives of the siblings. Tara engages herself with a prison inmate’s son—caring for the five-year-old whose mother (Tannistha Chatterjee) is battling ill health. Amir's state, on the contrary, is more complex. He has to save Akshi for him to be able to prove his sister's innocence. He is in a constant flux; and ends up taking care of Akshi’s family—an old mother and two daughters, while Akshi battles it out in the hospital.
While trying to rescue each other, the siblings end up finding themselves. For a debutant actor, Khattar shows immense courage and a range of emotions as he plays Amir, who is a playful young guy burdened with the realities of life. Malavika Mohanan’s character, for most part, is intense and she has delivered a more or less convincing performance.
Considering international filmmakers' fascination for the slums of Mumbai, Majidi has managed to stop this one from turning into another Slumdog Millionaire. Beyond glorifying slum lanes, cramped houses and poverty, Majidi chooses to focuses on the love between family members and emotional conflicts. Anil Mehta’s slick cinematography perfectly captures the crime-nests and landscapes of far-flung areas of Mumbai. A.R. Rahman’s music, especially a prominent background score with the sounds of tabla during a chase scene, is a constant reminder that you are watching a film made in India. Majidi, like always, has created a story that tugs at your heartstrings.
Film: Beyond The Clouds
Director: Majid Majidi
Actors: Ishaan Khatter, Malavika Mohanan
Rating: 3.5/5