Goutam Ghose's Yatra is a quiet, subtle and beautiful film which keeps engaging you with its mystery and ambiguity. I'm not surprised Yatra performed so miserably with critics, let alone audiences. You can't help, most people cannot see beyond the pace, and Yatra is incredibly slow, frankly speaking, something which I too had a problem with at some points. Having said that, I was engaged by the story, by the realism, and by the blend of reality and fiction through the story of famous writer Dashrath Joglekar's journey through time and his memories from his old and celebrated novel "Janaza". The cinematography is excellent and the music, by the great Khayyam, is equally wonderful. Yatra is very poetic and symbolic in execution and therefore it is not a very easy film to follow. On the other hand, it leaves several questions unanswered which give the viewer an opportunity to answer them themselves the way they want to. The ending is one such instance which is free for individual interpretation.
One of my favourite actors, Nana Patekar is excellent as the main protagonist, playing his part with atypical subtlety and restraint. Deepti Naval is equally impressive as his loving and caring wife. Just like in Leela in which she co-starred with Dimple Kapadia, here she is once again pitted against an actress like Rekha whose presence could make it easy for people to overlook Naval's, but Naval once again holds her own with a quiet and nuanced portrait of dignity and patience. The character of Lajwanti is full of mystery, and who could be a better choice for this part if not the enigmatic Rekha? No one can play the classic courtesan as brilliantly as she does. She has both the great acting and dancing skills, the grace and the unmatched screen presence, and here, she is wonderfully unpredictable and cryptic. Even at her fifties, she is sensuous and attractive and she masterfully performs her mujras and recites these fine poems with her husky, sexy voice. As always, her emotional outbursts are aptly acted, and her astonishing modern mujra performance for "Kabhi Aar Kabhi Paar" is one of the best moments in the film.
To sum it up, Yatra is an appreciable piece which certainly requires patience but is definitely worth the watch for more than one reason.
One of my favourite actors, Nana Patekar is excellent as the main protagonist, playing his part with atypical subtlety and restraint. Deepti Naval is equally impressive as his loving and caring wife. Just like in Leela in which she co-starred with Dimple Kapadia, here she is once again pitted against an actress like Rekha whose presence could make it easy for people to overlook Naval's, but Naval once again holds her own with a quiet and nuanced portrait of dignity and patience. The character of Lajwanti is full of mystery, and who could be a better choice for this part if not the enigmatic Rekha? No one can play the classic courtesan as brilliantly as she does. She has both the great acting and dancing skills, the grace and the unmatched screen presence, and here, she is wonderfully unpredictable and cryptic. Even at her fifties, she is sensuous and attractive and she masterfully performs her mujras and recites these fine poems with her husky, sexy voice. As always, her emotional outbursts are aptly acted, and her astonishing modern mujra performance for "Kabhi Aar Kabhi Paar" is one of the best moments in the film.
To sum it up, Yatra is an appreciable piece which certainly requires patience but is definitely worth the watch for more than one reason.