Raincoat - a review

Raincoat was such a disappointment to me.

Here is a small review of the 'latest' hindi movie I watched:

First of all, I am sorry that the great director's first work in Hindi cinema is not quite upto the mark. I watched 5-6 movies by rituporno (starting from unishe april to this one) and this one turned out to be the crappiest one. I personally would have liked this to be a play rather than a movie. A movie-screenplay with dialogue between two people going on for such a long time could have been worked upon. (But then, I am not considering the fact of reaching a limited audience with theatre in India.)

The bong way of looking at Hindi is one which regards Hindi as the language of biharis; This, like in most of his other works, is adequately expressed in the movie ('such' characters do speak hindi in his bengali movies) In the movie, since aish and devgan are from Darbhanga (a place in Bihar), their language has to be Hindi. But I don't think aish can ever appreciate that. Annu kapoor has taken the required accent and air quite appropriately. Devgan is matured, but one can only dream that Aish would become an actress, some day.

The following description has spoilers:

Like it is with most artists from the Kali-worshipping Bengal, the protagonists gotta be female[;)] This movie presents dreams and wishes of a girl, brought up in an environment where marrying a rich guy is the only way to have 'em materialized. What follows in the movie is a shattered dream, and horrors in a house-wife born out of disconnection from the real world. Aish iterates her fear of 'bathroom mein qaed ho jana'. Her drawing room is full of antique furniture that doesn’t belong to her. Her reality, is not about being 'a rich woman', something that she wanted to be as a young woman, something that she still wants everyone to believe, even her first-love. Her reality instead limits herself to a bathroom, which she is fearful of getting locked in (reason why she won't go in an airplane)

But then, devgans got his share too, although less highlighted. This is not the movie where young-man's frustration would be vented out the usual Hindi cinema way. Devgan, is weak, failed, and jaded. (He is found weeping in bathroom in the movie.) He gives up to emotions, and so, carrying impact of his failed first-love, he is presented as someone who needs support.


The climax of the movie takes off from O Henry's ' gift of magi' (Henry is thankfully mentioned in the credits). Raincoat is the carrier of gifts that the one-time lovers gave to each other, both pretending to be able to afford the gift. Raincoat, indeed, has its symbolism. Rituporno's overall idea of the movie is good, but he has not been able to convert it to a good movie. No one can attribute this to a language/culture barrier. Best of the best Hindi movies were directed by bongs afterall ;)

This movie is not for you if you think that Hindi movies shouldn't be doing anything except Shaadi-vaala band baaja, having nice time with the family-members visiting India, hoggin' and dancin' in big groups etc. This director is not subhash ghai or some chopra-vopra; He is an artist and he thinks his work ought to be reflective.

At last, two things:

1. I am not 100% sure that aish has become rituporno's muse or something. Can anyone enlighten me?
2. The mumbai - crowd I watched the movie with, suggested the movie should have been called bathroom. Whats your say?