I didn't have much interest in this film but it really surprised me.
Pagglait follows Sandhya, a widow who grapples with an inability to grieve, quirky relatives and a startling discovery about her late husband.
Umesh Bist doesn't have a great filmography but he does show potential with his latest venture, Pagglait. There are so many issues Bist wants to bring to our attention and I liked the way he handled them. There is a level of subtlety within the execution of the film and what it's trying to say which I appreciated. The film could have been overly dramatic in its presentation but Bist keeps the story, setting and its characters grounded at all times. It was interesting to see the mentality of a large family like this, how they would approach a situation like this and the way they act when money gets involved or when they get caught doing something they scold someone for doing. It's a nice social commentary that exposes the length some relatives would go to for their own benefit despite the sad situation.
At the heart of this film we have Sandhya. Not only does Sanya Malhotra deliver a great performance as her but Bist uses this characater to say a lot about women in India. There are many characters in this film and, perhaps, may be too many. The large cast do a great job playing their roles but there were too many subplots involving them and got in the way of the main character's storyline. I wish more focus was given to Sandhya's character so that her arc felt more satisfying. The pacing is quite slow which may not work for some people.
As a whole, Pagglait was an interesting film that you wouldn't normally see from India. The performances were great and conveyed a lot of issues present in India. I think Umesh Bist shows his worth as a writer and director and I'm intrigued to see what he comes up with next.
Pagglait follows Sandhya, a widow who grapples with an inability to grieve, quirky relatives and a startling discovery about her late husband.
Umesh Bist doesn't have a great filmography but he does show potential with his latest venture, Pagglait. There are so many issues Bist wants to bring to our attention and I liked the way he handled them. There is a level of subtlety within the execution of the film and what it's trying to say which I appreciated. The film could have been overly dramatic in its presentation but Bist keeps the story, setting and its characters grounded at all times. It was interesting to see the mentality of a large family like this, how they would approach a situation like this and the way they act when money gets involved or when they get caught doing something they scold someone for doing. It's a nice social commentary that exposes the length some relatives would go to for their own benefit despite the sad situation.
At the heart of this film we have Sandhya. Not only does Sanya Malhotra deliver a great performance as her but Bist uses this characater to say a lot about women in India. There are many characters in this film and, perhaps, may be too many. The large cast do a great job playing their roles but there were too many subplots involving them and got in the way of the main character's storyline. I wish more focus was given to Sandhya's character so that her arc felt more satisfying. The pacing is quite slow which may not work for some people.
As a whole, Pagglait was an interesting film that you wouldn't normally see from India. The performances were great and conveyed a lot of issues present in India. I think Umesh Bist shows his worth as a writer and director and I'm intrigued to see what he comes up with next.