A review from
last Saturday for this movie said that if we don’t walk into a theatre to watch
such movies then there will no money coming in and therefore lesser of these
movies will be made in the future. I
could not resist using the thought to begin Yellow because we will continue to
have a huge chunk of the world which will download this movie instead of
watching it on screen.
Yellow is the true
story of Gauri Gadgil who also plays her grown self in the movie. Gauri is born to Shekhar (Manoj Joshi) and
Mughdha (Mrinal Kulkarni). She has Downs
Syndrome – the most common chromosome abnormality amongst humans. Consequently,
she isn’t the easiest child to be with as parents – physically and more
importantly emotionally.
Shunned by her
father but thanks to a “never say die” mother, Gauri & Mughdha find a home
with her maternal uncle Shri (Hrishikesh Joshi). Shri believes in not worrying about things
that you cannot control but instead making the most of what we have – an attitude
that could help a lot of us too.
Once Gauri’s
fascination for water surfaces, the family finds an avenue to channel her
energies. She takes to swimming like a
fish to water (Yellow is her favourite Gold Fish). She finds a leading coach Pratap Sardeshmukh
(Upendra Limaye) to help her out as well.
Eventually she goes on to win silver at the Special Olympics.
I haven’t given
much away even by calling out the medal in my review. It is only one of the aspects of the
movie. It is the journey towards that
goal that makes Yellow extremely interesting viewing. The process of moving from a social outcast
to a mini celebrity of sorts is truly inspirational.
First time
director Mahesh Limaye is known more for his work as a Bollywood
cinematographer with movies such as Heroine, Dabangg and Fashion. If there can be complaint from Yellow it
would come from Limaye’s end. A lot of
detailing is overlooked. Actors are
allowed to get away with half hearted attempts such as when the coach actually
dives into water, it is quite embarrassing.
The overall performances
are quite good. Gauri Gadgil as herself
is extremely confident in front of the camera despite her disability. While small, I thought Manoj Joshi as Gauri’s
father had the toughest role – one that he essays with stunning ease. The conflict in the mind of a father with
aspirations and his inability to cope with expectations was simply superb. Kudos to Manoj Joshi on that count.
To sum it up, watch
Yellow in the theatres. It is tax free
and will cost you much lesser than the Bollywood movies playing in town. More importantly, it is as good, if not
better. My 6 on 10 will bely the spirit with
which the movie was made. It is only a
reflection on the finishing and not the story.
Don’t download it till you watch on the screen. And spread the word.
Watch the trailer
on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L46ELsihEHI
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