'Maati: In Search of Roots' is meant for a particular audience as the name suggests. True to the character of Meghla, people with origin from erstwhile East Bengal who came over to the other side after Partition, and have grown up listening to the stories of their forefathers bearing the scars of that painful history or have lived to see it, are expected to relate more to this film than an average movie-goer may do. I could see tears silently rolling down in some of their eyes during the narratives and the picturesque landscape of their 'roots' in undivided Bengal with a few mute utterances of their own, acknowledging some of the crucial meaningful speeches. Given the theme of the movie, its success depended centrally upon the acting skills of Paoli Dam and Adil Hussain, who I think did full justice to it. The film tried to spread the reconciling message that the country has seen a lot since and has fought its own fight during their independence from Pakistan on the principles of righteousness, justice and humanity but still remaining very vulnerable to the whims of religious identity. It should not though fail to strike a chord with someone who is noway related to this piece of history but is sensitive enough as a person to understand the pains and nostalgia of it all. Thumbs up to this project and a 7/10 for sure...
Review of Maati
