Nagesh Kukunoor’s Dhanak is an oasis of innocence and beauty in the harsh desert of mainstream Bollywood, which more often than not is busy trading on prurience and cheap titillation to sell its wares.
It won the Grand Prix for the Best Feature last year at the Berlin Film Festival as well as a special mention of the Children’s Jury and I strongly recommend you go and find out why!
Imbued with the beauty of Rajasthan, Dhanak, which literally means ‘rainbow’, boasts of all its vibrant hues and exuberant music.
We meet Pari and Chotu as they walk to their school, tossing a coin to decide who would get to share the story of their favourite superstar.
Pari is a die-hard SRK fan but her little brother won’t hear any of it, Salman Khan is his only god! While the adulation for the stars by their little fans is endearing, we soon leave behind the Khans to cheer for this brother-sister duo.
Pari has promised her little brother that she would help him get his eyesight back . She believes her screen-god SRK is the only one who can help her, and so the two set off on foot to Jaisalmer, where Shahrukh Khan is believed to be shooting.
The rest of the narrative unfolds like a fable. The world they inhabit is a kinder one, where people are essentially good. They meet merry fellow travellers, good Samaritans and even when the chips are down, manage to find an extraordinary bit of serendipity.
Hetal Gada as the over-protective, loving elder sister is brilliant. Matching her pitch is the buck-toothed livewire, Krrish Chhabria. Chotu’s ready wit and infectious naughty grin more than make up for his lack of sight.
The bond these two share on screen, having each other’s back and simply being utterly adorable as they hitchhike or travel on foot across the vast expanse of sand dunes, make for an enchanting watch!
While the world of the children is more or less kept insulated from adult interference, Vipin Sharma, Gulfam Khan, Rajiv Laxman and Suresh Menon prove to be the perfect ensemble cast.
Nagesh Kukunoor is back in his Iqbal and Dor league. Never letting the narrative slip out of his control, he has provided the viewers with an immersive journey to a magical world.
There would be many a moist eye as the simplicity of the kids tug at our heartstrings, but we still manage to smile through the tears, much like Pari and Chotu on screen. I give it 4 QUINTS out of 5.
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