Videsh Review
Movie Review: Videsh; Star Cast: Preity Zinta, introducing Vansh Bharadwaj; Director: Deepa Mehta; Rating: *1/2 – Videsh – Heaven on Earth: Puts you off to sleep.
From a small town in Punjab, Chand (Preity) arrives alone in Ontario, Canada, to get married to Rocky (Vansh). Full of dreams in her eyes of a happy married life, Chand brings along her, her mom’s narrated poems and folktales. But her dreams are shattered on her wedding night itself. She has to adjust herself in a small apartment where her cabbie driver hubby stays along with his parents, sister, her jobless hubby and two kids. Her insecure mother-in-law even disrupts her honeymoon by arriving at her hotel room. When she detests, Rocky raises his hand on her. Disheartened Chand seeks solace in reciting her mom’s narrated folklore of the holy snake “Sheshnaag” which has the ability to help a distressed woman. Gradually, Rocky and his mom’s insulting behaviour increases with Rocky often brutally beating Chand up. But then one night, her “snake god” from her backyard comes to life and enters her bedroom in the form of her husband Rocky. The confusion it all leads to forms the rest of the film.
Adapted from Girish Karnad’s famous play Naga Mandalam, the basic plot is extremely interesting but Deepa Mehta has made a complete mess of it. So slow paced is the narrative that during this 1 hour 45 minutes running time film, you keep on yawning at regular intervals and constantly keep looking at your watch hoping the torture ends as soon A lot of time is wasted in establishing Chand’s unhappy married life. Then post the interval when the Sheshnaag twist finally takes place, everything proceeds in a hurry. Even the climax appears rushed.
What keeps you from walking out of the film mid-way is Preity Zinta’s outstanding performance. Most often shown make-up less in the film, Preity has delivered her career best performance in Videsh. Sometimes without any dialogues, just through eyes she expresses so much pain that you can’t help but start feeling extreme pity for her character. Debutante Vansh Bharadwaj is extremely natural and appears mean to the core. Most of the rest of the cast are unknown actors and each one of them right from the old actress playing Preity’s mother in law to the small kids in the house have delivered a very good natural performance.
The film in its original English version – Heaven on Earth may have received a few film festival awards but now in its Hindi dubbed version as Videsh, it is certainly not a film which will entertain you. Its tortoise pace and some absurdities thrown in at regular intervals will definitely put you off to sleep. -Sampurn
Oh my God..it was simply a torture sitting through the film; have seen all films made by Deepa Mehta…but this was awful! You are right, I tolerated it till end because of Priti Zinta’s fine acting.
One thing I understood that Chand imagined sheshnag as her loving husband! But what was completely absurd was a king cobra in Canada????? Can someone explain me this?
It was a pain sitting thru the film and spending my hard earned money in buying tickets for two of my friends too, who almost beat me after the film.
BUT OUR COMPLIMENTS TO PRITI FOR FINE ACTING
I must say I have to disagree with this review – although Preity’s acting was, superb, superb. The film was extremely powerful in dealing with the issue of domestic violence in Indian culture. I interpreted the Cobra as a metaphor for Chand’s attempts to deal with her situation and to develop her inner strength and resolve.
As a visitor to India, I have seen quite a few Hindi films and this film is one of the few I DIDN’T find confused and torturous. Well done to all involved.
I understood Priti’s imagination part ….but how one justifies a king cobra in Canada that too by a director known for making realistic films? I reiterate I am a fan of Deepa Mehta- but this was…uuummmm
Paheli and Provoked were much more convincing …..dealing with ghosts/imaginations/metaphore and domestic violence respectively.
disz ihsz dahh most shittest film evaar! trus me! dnt waste yuur toiime watchiin it!!!!!!! trus mee!!! =]
Professor Reena, you certainly miss the point – forget the snake. The issue at hand was abuse which was dominant here, on a poor, young girl all alone in a foreign country. The fact that these things do happen make it all the more horrible. The snake was just an outlet, a form of dealing, with the beatings and bad treatment meted out to the bride. I felt very bitter towards the husband and the in-laws and wished I could do to them what they were doing to that poor girl!
I thought Videsh was an absolutely outstanding and exemplary piece of art or in this instant…reality. Deepa Mehta was able to capture the whole essence of domestic violence, the complex relationships between each member of the family and their own individual inner turmoil. I know of many women who could relate to each scene of this movie, which is probably why after seeing it, I could not stop thinking about it!
I have only two hopes from this movie:
1. Women suffering from domestic violence, please have the inner strength to say ‘NO’ to what you experience, there is always help out there, whether a colleague, a friend, a relative, a doctor and in particular the police.
2. What disgusted me about the relatives was how they stood silent whilst he beat her, as if deeming it as normality. Therefore, if you know of someone going through this, voice your opinion and say ‘NO’ so that you can save another.
Hope this movie inspires all.
I had a hard time telling the difference between what was happening in reality and what was happening in Chand’s mind at times. At one point while I watched, I wondered if Chand’s husband was bipolar, with personality changes. And what was the significance of the black and white photography? It didn’t show her inner reality and the color show outer reality. I didn’t understand what Mehta was saying with that. It was torture to watch Chand getting beat up while people stood by. I don’t want to watch any Indian films for awhile after this. Loved Water and Earth.