Review - 'Good Night, Good Morning' is brilliant

Cast: Manu Narayan, Seema Rahmani, Vasanth Santosham, Raja Sen

Director: Sudhish Kamath

The plight of independent filmmakers is not an easy thing to understand as many of the movie enthusiasts might not have experienced that level of pain. Director Sudhish Kamath's 'Good Night, Good Morning' is another such ordeal which will definitely make you realise the importance of independent cinema.

The film has been shown at various film festivals and now the PVR group is releasing it in India.

It's one of those intelligent films which focus on performance and content rather than technical gimmickry and star quotient. New York forms the backdrop of the film where a group of four men meets a woman at a bar. Somehow the imagery remains in one of the boy's subconscious and he decides to call the girl.

The boy Turiya (Manu Narayan) calls the mysterious girl Moira (Seema Rahmani) while driving from New York to Philadelphia. Two complete strangers start a conversation that leads them to revisit their inner shelves.

With the New Year night coming to a dawn both the strangers start to realise that the life is actually a journey which can't be travelled with sad faces and more importantly grievances. The old world romance seeps through the window and two unknown people arrive to a common solution that life means the pursuit of happiness.

'Good Night, Good Morning' is a black and white film that is completely grey in nature.

Whatever we do, whatever we think, but we all are actually nurturing just one wish and that is the desire to be loved.

Manu Narayan's mannerism goes well with the Indian beliefs. His faith in the unconditional love makes the phone call emotionally charged. Seema Rahmani has emerged as an actor who can swiftly move on to different moods. There is a sequence in the film where she talks about her research paper and her persona completely changes to that of a scholar while the very next sequence shows her in a vulnerable state.

The writing is the strongest part of the film. The characters are very well nuanced and the back-stories of both the lead characters are logically supported.

The director's angst towards the discrimination between the mainstream Bollywood films and independent films has also found a place in the story. The take on 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' is very subtle and hilarious.

The art of generating laugh via dialogue is not easy but the punches provided by J.C. (Raja Sen) and Hussain (Vasanth Santosham) are a treat to watch.

The language of the film is very contemporary and it complements the film.

Sudhish has done a fantastic job as the director. He appears in complete command of everything from the writing to the editing.

'Good Night, Good Morning' is a good film in every sense. It's a brave effort to develop a parallel cinema without downsizing Bollywood.

Presenting the film in black and white suits the set up as it conveys the charm of the old world romance.

The pace of the film will keep you engaged for sure. Overall, 'Good Night Good Morning' is a brilliant film that should be supported for the sake of good cinema.

Posted in: Bollywood