The Blue Umbrella

Vishal Bharadwaj's The Blue Umbrella is a quietly enchanting film about a young girl who lives in a small mountain village. One day she acquires a blue umbrella from some visiting Japanese tourists that the town instantly starts to covet. Everyone, from the village schoolmaster's wife to the shoeshine boy, has their eyes on the umbrella and chief among these is the town's shrewish shopkeeper, Nandkishore. There is a delectable scene where Nandkishore is trying to entice the girl to give up the umbrella by offering what he thinks is an irresistible bargain:

"Chay mahinay tak roz do toffee do biscuit, haftay main aek alu ka paratha gajar ke achaar ke saath, deepavali pe do phooljari, holi pe aek pichkari. Itnay saare baeir aur itnay saare shehtoot aur saath main dus kachchi ambian. Theek hai?"

She of course refuses and the umbrella subsequently goes missing, unfolding a sequence of events that charmingly illustrate the fickle nature of possession and how it changes human relationships. The film contains some mild exoticisation of rural life and some slapdash humor that would work fine with another film-maker but looks trivial when used by Mr. Bharadwaj. These minor glitches aside, the movie is definitely worth a watch, and seen on a big screen can provide an immersive experience with its rich cinematography and beautiful soundtrack. I don't think I've enjoyed an Indian movie so much since Vinay Pathak's performance in Bheja Fry.