Vihir (2009) User Reviews

Well worth taking a dive into the Vihir

[moxabov · 8/10 · 25 April 2010]

This is the story of two teen-aged cousins. The first half is of the slightly older one (Nachiket) who is starting to ask himself some abstract questions about being as he sees around him relations that are not completely healthy, but are shown to be that way so that minds don't get hurt. He hopes to go away from all this. He is the idol of his younger cousin (Samir) who is visiting. Samir does not understand what Nachiket is talking about - and thinks Nachiket is going to run away, and shortly thereafter his own journey starts.

It is an extremely well made, well acted movie which deals with the unanswerable question of death and what it means and how it should be handled. Music, photography, repetitions (the well, swimming, dripping water, biking, bus rides) are used effectively to create an atmosphere that keeps you bound to the theme. The relations between the large family and their nuances are brought out very well and provide a nice skeleton to the story.

Somewhat philosophical in nature if you look at it the right way. Half way through it may seem to proceed rather slowly, but it is necessary to create the atmosphere, and it picks speed in the second half. Overall, no complaints.

Processing grief as a teenager

[damayantitiwari · 9/10 · 25 March 2024]

Vihir focuses on the story of two cousins. They are related to each other through the maternal side. Their mothers are sisters, and the story is set in their maternal grandparents' house for their youngest aunt's wedding.

Nachiket is the older cousin he is in 10th grade & Sameer is a bit younger and lives in Pune. Nachiket's family background is a bit complicated. His dad is alcoholic and abusive towards his wife, he has a sister. Nachi's maternal grandparents are not supportive of his mother. Sameer's family seems to be doing relatively better than Nachi's. They are in the city, and Sameer gets a better quality education plus training/opportunities in swimming.

Nachiket wants to leave and escape the situation. He sees the struggle between his parents, he sees his uncle drowning himself in alcoholism, his grandfather being rigid forcing his aunt to marry an unsuitable guy. Sameer being young and unaware of these situations does not understand why Nachiket keeps talking about disappearing. He just wants his cousin's brother to be with him in Pune. He is upset and confused by Nachiket's thoughts, and actions. He lives village for a day for his swimming selection. He returns and gets to know he has lost his brother. There are no overt scenes of death the implication is he probably drowned in a well.

The real movie starts after this. All adults essentially fail to process and help kids process the grief of Nachiket's death. The younger aunt still gets married, and the uncle still wonders if his floating device caused drowning, Nachiket's mother is just sent upstairs and excluded from rituals, and eventually, Sameer is back in Pune and leaving his regular life. Everyone just forgot or ignored. Sameer is confused about all this. Before Nachiket's death, there are several hide-and-seek games so Sameer continues to think his cousin is just hiding, he can find him. He lives with that confusion for some time and eventually leaves the house to meet his cousin.

This is an open-ended movie. The watcher is free to draw their own conclusion. It's a multi-star movie. It's full of wonderful actors Girish Kulkarni, Aaghashe, Amruta Subhash, Alok, and Parna just to name a few. The intricacies between relationships are captured beautifully. One of my favorite scenes from the movie is the first night after Nachiket's demise. While Sameer is trying to find his cousin. He begins with the round of hide-and-seek. He "captures"/seeks all adults as he sees them and they all are requesting Nachiket to save them. A beautiful story about exploring grief and seeking closure after a cousin/brother/friend's death.

Still water runs Deep

[mulberry_field_thirtyyearold · 10/10 · 4 December 2011]

Still water runs deep, well that's an apt expression when it comes to describing Umesh Kulkarni's Tour de force "Vihir".

But before I could say anything about the film, let me make this clear, Vihir is not a typical commercial potboiler and although Vihir is essentially a 'lost and found' story it is certainly not in any way synonymous to the renowned Bollywood expression.

Vihir is a coming of age drama about two cousins in their adolescence, Sameer and Nachiket who are also best friends. When Sameer and Nachiket come down to their ancestral home in their village, they often go for a swim in a nearby well. Sameer is an excellent swimmer, while Nachiket requires a wooden buoy which he ties around his waist to keep him afloat and while they swim or troll around the countryside, they talk about life and their perception towards life. While the elder cousin Nachiket speaks about his angst, his dreams, his detachment from family, his petty existence, and the idea of living life with freedom, the younger cousin is often confused at the former's talks and fears if Nachiket might flee from home. Well Nachiket does sets free, and from there begins (in quite an allegorical manner) the game of hide and seek.

Apart from Nachiket and Sameer, one character that stands witness with its flexible characteristics to each frame is the ever sublime and unfathomable - Water. (And 'the Well' being a synecdochical device)

The performances are exemplary as is every character etched from earthy reality. The actors are so natural, you almost feel like landed in their home listening to their conversation in the rustic language that they speak. The camera moves across the house like a character and while outdoors it is never shy to give a panoramic point of view across the pastoral landscapes of Maharashtra, it is needless to say - the cinematography is impeccably beautiful. The Music creates an atmosphere that fits perfectly in the philosophical universe of Vihir and beautifully fills in the spaces where for minutes there are no dialogues.

Vihir deals with the questions of life and death and creates layers of questions through one's mind. Vihir will make you nostalgic if you ever visited you ancestral home in vacations, also it'll take you back to those difficult adolescent days when you tried to make sense of everything around you and yet only found yourself even more confused. Girish Kulkarni (a regular with Umesh Kulkarni who also plays the alcoholic uncle) and Sati Bhave's tale is a retrospect of those good old days and an introspection on a lot of things about yourself.

Umesh Kulkarni's Vihir is a must-watch and definitely a movie that stays with you long after you've watched it.