Nil Battey Sannata:
An Inspiring Story of a 'Go-Getter'!
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| Image Courtesy: ikarmik.com |
The Story Frame:
Nil Battey Sannata by the debutant Director Ashwani Iyer Tiwari has become
the talk of the tinsel town because of its refreshing and heartwarming story.
It portrays the life and aspirations of a working class woman's bonding with
her daughter. It deals with the perceptional and social blocks that one have in
the pursuit of one's aspirations and dreams. The characters of Chanda and
Apeksha are played by the very talented Swara Bhaskar and Ria Shukla,
respectively. The film is supported and produced by Aanand L. Rai, Ajay Rai, and Alan McAlex.
Cast: Swara
Bhaskar (Chanda
Sahay), Ria Shukla (Apeksha Sahay), Ratna Pathak (Mrs. Dewan), Pankaj Tripathi
(Principal Srivastava), Sanjay Suri (District Collector), Neha Prajapati
(Sweety), Prashant Tiwari (Pintu), Vishal Nath (Amar)
Genre: Family Drama
Direction: Ashwani Iyer Tiwari
Screenplay: Ashwini Iyer, Nitesh Tiwari,
Neeraj Singh, and Pranjal Choudhary
Produced
by: Anand L. Rai, Ajay Rai, and Alan McAlex
Production
Company: JAR Pictures, Colour Yellow
Cinematographer: Gavemic U. Ary
Music: Rohan, Vinayak
Lyrics: Manoj Yadav, Nitesh Tiwari, and
Shreyas Jain
Film
Editing by: Namrata Rao
Distributor: Eros International
Theatre Release: 22nd April, 2016
Language: Hindi
Duration: 104 minutes
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| Image Courtesy: lehren.com |
Reviewer's Thumb Mark
Nil Battey Sannata is the triumph of a lady who dared to dream for a
better life for her reluctant daughter who conveniently used the card of her
being poor and marginalized to shy away from the responsibility to change her
life situations by dreaming big. Chanda Sahay is a single mother who dons many
hats simultaneously as a maid at Mrs. Dewan's (Ratna Pathak Shah) house, worker
at a small factory, and a washer woman at a dhobhi ghat. She is also ready to take up odd jobs to save
money for her daughter to pursue her studies further to become an engineer or a
doctor. But the irony is Chanda's daughter Apeksha Sahay aka Apu (Ria Shukla
has no aspiration other than being a 'Bai' (Maid) like her mother. To counter
her mother's expectations she also has her logics ready - a doctor's child
becomes a doctor, an engineer's child becomes an engineer and therefore, a
Bai's daughter is bound to become a Bai. So, why worry so much? To make her
argument more stronger, the teenager has her arsenals ready by saying that even
if, she studies well and scores goods in Matric (Xth Standard), will her mother
be able to invest more money for her further studies? The answer is a big No!
So, Why dream and waste efforts.
Apu is one among those silly teenagers studying in a government school
who finds joy sitting at the back bench along with her equally dumb friends. Apu
needs to be cajoled or snubbed to get up early to reach the school on time. She
behaves contrary to her name 'Apeksha' (Expectation). She has no expectations
out of her and her life. She has knowingly or unknowingly accepted her status
of being poor as a permanent and unchangeable fact and fate of life. Hence, any
advice or talk on changing the status co is booed or shot down.
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| Image Courtesy: bollywoodmdb.com |
Chanda finds Dr. Devan her mistress understand her challenges and
troubles with her not so studious daughter. Amidst the household work at Mrs.
Dewan's house she finds the answer to her worries - why not enrol herself to
complete her half done Xth class in the school where Apu goes to study. Mrs.
Dewan's suggestion had many advantages: 1. Apu will start learning and can be
constantly monitored, 2. Chanda can help her understand maths better and even
study together better to score well in the board exam, 3. Chanda will be able
to understand the challenges Apu faces in studies, and 4. most importantly
Chanda would also get an opportunity to continue her studies which she had to
abandon because of her financial and social constraints.
Nil Battey Sannata raises many pertinent questions in regard to education
in our country: education becoming commercialized, the apathy in government
schools of having poor infrastructure and lack of advanced educational aids,
flourishing coaching institutes that is accessible and affordable to only kids
of well-to-do families or to those who already score well in studies, free
education to girl child and promoting and supporting adult education.
The film brings in a kind of freshness in story telling which has all the
elements to keep you glued to your seat and relate with the characters on
screen. They make you laugh, think, cry and moreover inspire to have a dream. The
film is very powerful and is successful in conveying it's message to have
dreams in life and why it's important to be one's own savior to change which is
unfavorable in the path of one's well being socially, mentally and emotionally.
Ria Shukla as Apu stands out in the film and is very well supported by an
awesome actor like Swara Bhaskar. The mother and daughter's bonding, tiff,
insecurities, and concerns are very well portrayed by both.
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| Image Courtesy: koimoi.com |
Swara Bhaskar is one such actor who easily makes a place in the viewers'
heart by her flawless acting. She as Chanda makes you relate her agony as a
mother, sole breadwinner, the trauma of being a school drop-out, fear of seeing
the same fate for her daughter and the financial challenges an underprivileged
marginalized family goes through when they dream big.
Pankaj Tripathy adds a dash of humour and playfulness in his role as the
Principal of the government school as well as the Mathematics teacher. He is
terrifically impressive while he maintains a studied watch on his students during
the school assembly proceedings, his way of imparting the nuances of
Mathematics in his class and the funniest of all is the meeting he has with
Mrs. Dewan and the new entrant of the school Chanda Sahay. Pankaj Tripathi has
been applauded a lot for his outstanding roles in films like Gangs of Wasseypur
and Masaan. In Nil Battey Sannata too he
excels in his role.
Sanjay Suri in his cameo role as a collector furthers the plot through
his subtle presence. He as a people-centric collector with all ears to listen,
understand and guide is a delight to watch.
Ratna Pathak Shah as Dr. Dewan plays the role of a well wisher and
socially progressive woman effectively and effortlessly. Her rapport with her
maid is quite appreciable and she genuinely appears to be sensitive towards the
need for Chanda to pursue her studies as well as carve a better future for her
daughter.
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| Image Courtesy: whatson.bfi.org.uk |
Director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari has made a fabulous film. The characters of
the film connects with you instantly frame by frame, be it Mrs. Dewan a
progressive, socially aware and understanding middleclass mistress, Chanda a 'Bai'
who looks and behaves like any other Bai in our colony, Apu a lackadaisical
teenager who doesn't give a damn to her mother's sacrifices and concerns about
her future, the School Principal (Pankaj Tripathi) of a government school -
funny but yet thorough professional and Apu's classmate - the studious boy who
finds mathematics quite interesting. The well-crafted scenes deftly written by
Ashwini Iyer, Nitesh Tiwari, Neeraj Singh, and Pranjal Choudhary leaves you
wanting for more. The newcomers - Rohan and Vinayak has rendered some good
music which are worth listening.
In short, Nil (Zero) Batta/Battey (Division) Sannata (Silence/Zero) which
means 'Jinka kuch nahin ho sakta' (Good for nothing) is a must watch. It is
inspiring, realistic and riveting. What happens to Chanda's dreams and
expectations? Will she be able to make Apu realize the importance of studies
and the relevance of pursuing one's own dreams? Watch them and their incredible performance on screen in a
nearby theatre and add wings to your dreams too ...
Life Connoisseur
Movie Rating: 4/5
