Danny Denzongpa sparkles in this classic

BIOSCOPEWALA Direction:Deb Medhekar Actors: Danny Denzongpa, Adil Hussain, Geetanjali Thapa, Brijendra Kala

Rating:

There are a myriad swirling emotions in the world of Deb Medhekar’s endearing Bioscopewala.

Based on Rabindranath Tagore’s Kabuliwala, it tells the tale of a life defined by loneliness and a woman’s mistaken belief that her father doesn’t love her.

In Tagore’s original, an Afghan man selling dry fruit in Kolkata forms a bond with a young girl as she reminds him of his daughter. Deb adds layers to the story as he swaps the dry fruit for a bioscope and imbues his Bioscopewala with rebellion, and a passion for cinema and story-telling. The changes never feel disruptive; instead, the film feels adapted to the times we live in.

Bioscopewala opens with the death of Robi Basu (Adil Hussain). His grief-stricken daughter Minnie (Geetanjali Thapa) runs into Rehmat Khan (Danny Denzongpa), who is now living in her family home. She tries to get rid of him, then remembers how she became a documentary filmmaker because of the passion and love for cinema that he instilled in her when she was a little girl.

Unlike Tagore’s Kabuliwala, we know more of Khan’s backstory — he was a rebel who protested against the Taliban by screening old Raj Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan films in his home-based theatre before the Taliban burnt it down. He then showed his films through a bioscope and only fled to try and protect his family. In Kolkata, he met Minnie, about the same age as the daughter he left behind. The performances are brilliant and bring each character to life. Denzongpa shines. From now now, he will be Bioscopewala to me.