Unfinely tuned with unexpected clichés
Baran), in his first Hindi film, explores Mumbai through its contrasts. All his characters are leading a double life too. Some are dreamers, others plot and plan. Everyone has aspirations. Even the bad guys crave a breakthrough to respectability.
Cinematographer Anil Mehta helps Majidi smoothen out the city’s rougher edges, taking us to quiet beaches, busy dockyards and the scrubbed clean-ness of Dhobi Ghat.
The protagonist, Amir (an earnest debut by Shahid Kapoor’s brother, Ishaan Khatter), is a spirited young man who yearns for more than his life in the slum. But he’s naive, uncertain and easily discouraged.
He and his sister Tara (Malavika Mohanan) are orphans; we’re supposed to feel how alike and inseparable they are. But Majidi does little to establish this bond. In fact, the first half of the film gives you little to root for, or feel, which is unusual in a Majidi film — and may hark back to his debatable decision to make a film in a language he cannot speak. Things improve in the second half. The director’s expertise with children shines in these scenes.
There are clichés you wouldn’t expect in a Majidi film, though. A child asks for a moon on a cloudy night, and someone takes it upon themselves to see this wish fulfilled. Two friends snuggle under a shawl and discuss their love of life. Inner demons rear their heads but are crushed in time.
The structure of Beyond the Clouds is disjointed. Sometimes, it feels like you’re watching two movies struggling to be one. Still, there are times when you’re moved by the ferocity and impossibility of some of these dreams.
Khatter holds your interest throughout. He’s a mix of feisty, lively and cynical without ever going overboard. Of the rest of the performances, veteran GV Sharada’s exceptional turn as a woman at the mercy of the city stands out. Her gaze, empathy and benevolent eyes need no language; she is a solid presence.
Sadly, Majidi’s film offers nothing new to the Indian viewer. This time, what we see is what we get.