At a mystical Himalayan
village in Kumaon; Cheeku, a seventeen-year-old girl battles the ugly world of
bureaucrats and landlords, while searching for her absconding father. Her
brother, Hansa, meanwhile, along with his friend, is being chased by a local
bully Bunty, for he has stolen his five-rupee-coin. A marvellous take on life
in the hills told through these two charming stories.
‘Hansa’ is a fine film. The young boy, who
plays Hansa’s best friend, gives the best performance of the film. Although the
story does slack a bit in the middle, the fine performances and the brilliant
cinematography pull the film through.
The film, on the outset, tackles various issues
– bureaucracy, sexual abuse, corruption, and childhood troubles among several
more. There's a scene in the film where Hansa (Suraj) has borrowed his best
friend's prized possession, a ball, and has inadvertently gotten it stuck on a
treetop. The ball keeps hanging there, quite predictably, till the end of the
film. During the run-time of the film, we are shown that sight again and again
till the end. Abandonment forms a major crux of the film as both Hansa and his
elder sister Cheeku (Trimala Adhikari) have been abandoned, along with their
pregnant mother, in the hills. Cheeku is looking for her father, who has
disappeared since a year, and is trying her best to save their house from being
taken away by their lecherous landlord, Bajju Da (Kumud Mishra of ‘Rockstar’
fame). Cheeku’s younger brother, Hansa, steals the local bully’s five rupee
coin and ends up becoming a strong suspect. The intimidating bully Bunty tries
to get the better of Hansa, but is fooled by the little kid every time. While,
Hansa and his best friend are on about their little adventure, Cheeku is facing
all kinds of trials and tribulations over their home, the landlord’s indecent
propositions, taking care of her pregnant mother and the search for her lost
father. The concept of the film isn’t really anything different. It deals with
issues that the people living in the hills face. Be it abandonment or dealing
with increasing urbanization, these people start to find themselves alien in
their own land. This aspect was well attributed in films such as ‘Anhey Ghorhey
Da Daan’ and ‘Bom’. However, what makes ‘Hansa’ different is that it focuses on
the same issues through the eyes of children. Debutante director Manav Kaul
extracts wonderful performances from the actors, especially the two actors
playing Hansa and his best friend. Can’t seem to find the name anywhere on the
web, but the boy who plays Hansa’s close friend delivers the finest performance
in the film. The scenes, involving both the friends, are absolutely delightful.
The cinematography, by Sachin Kabir, wonderfully captures the serenity of the
Himalayan foothills. The pace is meditative at some junctures in the
screenplay, but overall, the film does manage to charm the viewer.
Although it’s a film which features children,
the story will definitely strike a chord with adults. There are some very
important issues that have been portrayed in the film. What works for this film
is that it embeds within itself all these issues and still manages to
entertain. While ‘Hansa’ is not the best film to come out of PVR Director’s
Rare this year, it does work its charm. If not a theatre viewing, the film
should definitely be watched on DVD. Try catching it on the big screen anyway!
Given below are the show timings -
Given below are the show timings -
HANSA Theatre Listings and Show Timings - Dec 28 to Jan 3
| |
Mumbai
| |
PVR Juhu
|
3.30 PM
|
PVR Goregaon
|
8.30 PM
|
PVR Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel
|
5.30 PM
|
PVR Mulund
|
2.45 PM
|
PVR ECX, Kurla
|
2.30 PM
|
Pune
| |
PVR Phoenix Marketcity, Vimaan Nagar
|
3.00 PM
|
Delhi NCR
| |
PVR Anupam Saket
|
10.15 AM
|
PVR Naraina
|
10.00 AM
|
PVR MGF Mall, Gurgaon
|
10.05 AM
|
Bangalore
| |
PVR Forum Mall, Koramangala
|
7.30 PM
|
PVR Orion Mall, Malleshwaram
|
10.00 PM
|
Ahmedabad
| |
PVR Acropolis Mall
|
2.00 PM
|
Surat
| |
PVR Rahul Raj Mall
|
3.15 PM
|
Shivom Oza