Road, Movie directed by Dev Benegal, and starring Abhay Deol, Tannishtha Chatterjee, and Satish Kaushik. Dev Benegal gave Indian cinema the seminal film, English, August and followed it up with a not-so-happening Split Wide Open. He returns after almost a decade with Road, Movie, a film that tries to follow the footsteps of English, August by exploring the enigmatic beauty of mofussil India, through the eyes of a virtual outsider.
Movie Review:
Vishnu (Abhay Deol), a restless young man, itches to escape his father's faltering hair oil business.An old truck beckons, which, Vishnu sees as his ticket to freedom. He offers to drive the antique Chevy across the desert to the sea, where it has been sold to a local museum. As he sets off across the harsh terrain of desert India, he discovers he's not merely transporting a battered vehicle but an old touring cinema.
Along the way, Vishnu reluctantly picks up a young runaway (Mohammed Faizal Usmani), a wandering old entertainer (Satish Kaushik) and a striking gypsy woman (Tannishtha Chatterjee). Together they roam in the barren land, searching for water and an elusive fair. The journey turns dire when they are waylaid by corrupt cops and a notorious water lord.
The key to their freedom is the eccentric collection of films and the two forty-year-old film projectors in the back of the truck. As in '1001 Nights', if the films are good, they live and move on. If the films are boring, they face death in the outback.
The journey proves transformative for each of the travelers, but especially for Vishnu who discovers life, love and laughter on the Indian highway.
The performances are eye-catching. Abhay Deol, once again proves he's hell bent on travelling the less-travelled road, while Satish Kaushik breathes life and soul into the character of the mela-hunting man from nowhere.
Michel Amathieu's cinematography creates unforgettable frames of sheer beauty and the screenplay crackles with some crisp humour. Don't go looking for run-of-the-mill cinema and you will enjoy Road, Movie which is does lack story and drama.
It premiered at the 2009 Toronto Film Festival and opened the section Generation 14plus at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2010.