BANARAS - A MYSTIC LOVE STORY, A FILM WITH A DIFFERENCE, MARKED BY GOOD PERFORMANCES & COMPETENT DIRECTION

Rating:- * * *

BANARAS - A MYSTIC LOVE STORY is not one of those masala films that Hindi cinema is generally associated with. It deals with specific subjects – the caste system still prevalent in certain parts of the country and shades of spiritualism.

Naturally, therefore, the film, artistic to the core and sensitively treated, caters to a niche audience who constitute a minority.

Shweta [Urmila Matondkar], daughter of rich Brahmin parents [Dimple Kapadia and Raj Babbar], studies science at the university in Banaras. Sohan [Ashmit Patel], is a low caste mystic who teaches music at the university. When the two fall in love, hell breaks loose.

At first Shweta's parents disapprove of the match, but when they come to know that Sohan is a Hindu, they approve of the affair and the lovers are engaged. Even the marriage date is fixed, but on the very day of the marriage, news is received that Sohan has been murdered. A shattered Shweta decides to abandon the city she loves the most. In despair, she turns inwards
to look for answers.

Seventeen years later, Shweta, now a world teacher in philosophy and religion, has to return to Banaras to meet her dying father. When she returns to Banaras, it seems to her that she has erupted the dormant volcano in her.

The spiritual journey of the protagonist -- Urmila -- is treated with utmost sensitivity. From being the doting daughter of rich Brahmin parents, to her fondness for a lower caste boy, to the tumultuous events that change her life, right till the climax, when all unanswered questions are answered, every sequence in the film has been composed and executed with rare maturity.

The film is rich in emotions and the concluding reels -- Urmila returning to Banaras to meet her dying father -- take the film to an all-time high.

Irespective of how this film fares, director Pankuj Parashar will earn a lot of respect for his handling of the material. Beautifully shot and excellently treated, BANARAS - A MYSTIC LOVE STORY is -- from the aesthetic point of view -- Parashar's finest work to date.
Cinematographer Nirav Shah has beautifully captured the stunning locales of Banaras.While the music of Himesh Reshamiya is just about okay, background score by Surender Sodhi is far more effective. Dialogues [Javed Siddiqui] are natural and seem straight out of life.

Performances? The film helps to enhance Urmila’s status as an actor, and Asmit Patel also gives an excellent account of himself. Raj Babbar, Dimple Kapadia, Naseeruddin Shah, Akash Khurana and Arif Zakaria also leave an impression.

Although not likely to appeal much to the masses, the film is likely to earn immense praise from connoisseurs of meaningful cinema.