Dhanak (“Rainbow“) is as charming as can be, a sweet fairy tale about a blind boy and his devoted sister. The deserts of Rajasthan provide the perfect setting for writer-director Nagesh Kukunoor’s story of faith, family, and the general goodness of mankind.
8-year-old Chotu (Krrish Chhabria) and his 10-year-old sister Pari (Hetal Gada) are orphans, living in a tiny village with their aunt and uncle. Aunty (Gulfam Khan) is a classic “wicked stepmother,” stingy and resentful of having to raise children who aren’t her own. Uncle Durgaram (Vipin Sharma) loves Pari and Chotu, but he’s a stoner who won’t stand up to his domineering wife.
Chotu and Pari are movie buffs who spin tales about their celluloid heroes: Chotu’s idol, Salman Khan, and Pari’s imaginary boyfriend, Shahrukh Khan. Outside of the town movie hall, Pari spies Shahrukh on a poster for a vision charity. The Shahrukh of her stories is noble and generous, so Pari believes he’s the man who can restore Chotu’s sight.
The village buzzes with news that Shahrukh is filming in nearby Jaisalmer (nearby being relative, since Jaisalmer is 300 kilometers away). When Uncle Durgaram won’t take them to ask Shahrukh for his help, Pari and Chotu put on their flip-flops and begin the long walk to Jaisalmer alone.
The relationship between brother and sister is adorable. Love underlies their argumentative banter, all the funnier thanks to their quick-wittedness. When Chotu leaves behind their water bottle, he scolds Pari, “How can you trust an 8-year-old? A blind 8-year-old at that?!” Pari looks heavenward and prays, “God, give me the strength not to kill my brother.”
They receive a considerable amount of help on their journey, getting lifts from friendly truck drivers and guests heading to a wedding. The kids are so guileless that most adults are eager to help, without trying to dissuade them from their mission.
Dhanak‘s rural setting — with smalls town separated by miles of sand dunes — is the perfect venue for telling the kind of story that no longer seems possible in the West. Given the omnipresence of technology that allows parents to be in constant contact with their children at all times, it’s refreshing to see a movie where the kids are the decision makers. They receive adult assistance, not interference.
That’s not to say that the world Pari and Chotu live in is perfectly safe. They encounter dangers, often from unlikely suspects. Then again, how safe were they at home, with their cruel aunt and spineless uncle? Since Dhanak is for kids as much as it is about them, the dangers Pari and Chotu face aren’t depicted in detail. The film is totally family friendly, and realistic without being scary.
Just as the kids are occasionally betrayed by figures of authority, they are encouraged to choose their allies based on more than first impressions. One of the sweetest relationships in the film is between the kids and Badrinath (Suresh Menon), a former truck driver mad with grief over the deaths of his own children. Their need allows him to regain some of what he’s lost, even for a short time.
A kindly grandmother tells Pari and Chotu that there is magic in the world, and they just have to reach out and grab it. Whether or not magic exists as an independent force in the film is debatable. Yet the kids’ journey teaches them that there is kindness and friendship to be found in the world, and that those forces are sometimes enough to make dreams come true.
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This look like a wonderful film. I can only hope to see it.
There is a trailer out there:
The movie is adorable, Mike. Thanks for linking to the trailer!
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Wonderful….can’t wait to see it somehow!
Tnq Kathy, my all time favourite – indian movie – Gandhi (indo-British movie), swadesh, lagaan, Satya,mera naam joker, awaara, ddlj,rang de Basanti, sholey, hera pheri,zindagi naa milegi dobara, gangs of wasseypur part 1n 2, yeh jawani hai diwani, devdas(2002) kal Ho naa ho, bavarchi, omkara,wake up sid,company, love aaj kal, kuchh kuchh hota hai, hum dil de chuke sanam, queen,like star on earth (tzp),guide etc.. Foreign movies – the good the bad the ugly, the godfather part 1 n 2,Forrest Gump, life is beautiful, titanic, pulp fiction, Schindler’s list, catch me if you can, cinema paradiso, Amelie, roman holiday, Casablanca, I saw the devil, battle Royale, the dark knight, the notebook,jerry Maguire, the green mile, cast away, butch Cassidy and Sundance kid, 300, gladiator, blood diamond,the sawshank redemption, red cliff, casino Royale 007, my left foot, kill bill vol 1 n 2, django unchained, good will hunting, gravity,scent of women, taxi driver, requiem for a dream, sin city, the adventure of tintin, pretty woman, Erin brockowich, inglorious basterds, Leon the professional, the wolf of walstreet, Indiana Jones queadriology, goodfelaas, gran Torino, rushomon, itchi the killer, the good the bad the weird , pirates of carrabien series, modern times, city lights, a clockwork orange , seven years in Tibet, Chaplin , bicycle thieves , la dolce vita, 8½, ben hur, Lawrence of Arabia, braveheart , amores peros, hotel Rwanda, the persuit of happyness, 7pounds , a good year, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, mad max fury road, interstellar, captain Philips, the sting, serpico, the terminal , an American in Paris , singin in the rain etc……..
Good lists, Siddharth! The Good, The Bad & The Weird is in my Netflix queue, but I haven’t seen it yet.
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Can’t wait to watch 🙂
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When is this movie coming out??
It releases in theaters in India on June 17, so it’ll probably become available on digital platforms elsewhere a couple of months after that.
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