Hindi
cinema
is
going
through
a
major
metamorphosis.
Innovative
ideas
and
fresh
stories
are
being
developed
and
executed
by
Gen
X
storytellers.
Bheja
Fry
director
Sagar
Ballary
also
tries
to
attempt
something
different
from
what
he
attempted
in
his
maiden
attempt.
The
humungous
expectations
from
Ballary
must've
put
tremendous
pressure
and
responsibility
on
his
shoulders,
for
sure.
But
before
I
begin
to
analyze
Kaccha
Limboo,
let
me
clear
the
misconception
about
the
genre
of
this
one.
It's
not
a
comedy,
not
remotely
similar
to
Bheja
Fry,
as
some
people
would
like
to
believe.
I
couldn't
help
but
recall
three
films
while
watching
Kaccha
Limboo
-
Gulzar's
Kitaab
[1977],
Ritwik
Ghatak's
Bari
Theke
Paliye
[Bengali;
1959]
and
celebrated
French
director
Francois
Truffaut's
The
400
Blows
aka
Les
Quatre
Cents
Coups
[French;
1959].
These
three
films
had
great
stories
to
tell
[of
a
misunderstood
adolescent],
but
among
the
three,
Kaccha
Limboo
bears
a
striking
resemblance
to
Kitaab,
which,
in
my
opinion,
ranks
amongst
Gulzar's
best
works.
However,
unlike
Kitaab,
which
remains
well
etched
in
our
memory
even
after
three
decades,
Kaccha
Limboo
runs
out
of
gas
after
an
interesting
first
hour.
Kaccha
Limboo
suffers
due
to
a
sketchy
screenplay,
also
penned
by
Ballary.
In
fact,
the
post-interval
portions
ruin
the
impact
that
was
beautifully
created
after
a
fairly
engrossing
first
hour.
One
would've
expected
Ballary
to
explore
the
infatuation
angle
in
the
story
or
the
cracks
that
develop
between
the
adolescent
and
his
parents.
Instead,
the
story
wanders
to
an
alien
territory
in
the
second
hour
and
I
actually
wondered,
did
Ballary
intend
telling
a
fresh
story
in
the
second
half?
That's
not
all!
The
story
goes
on
and
on
and
on
and
on…
so
much
so
that
you
fervently
pray
that
it
reaches
its
culmination
pronto.
But
Ballary
messes
up
the
conclusion
too.
Makes
me
wonder
if
Bheja
Fry
was
a
fluke.
Or
was
it
just
a
flash
in
the
pan?
In
fact,
I
would
consider
it
disrespectful
if
anyone
compares
the
brilliant
Taare
Zameen
Par
with
this
slapdash
effort!
Shambhu
[Taher
Sutterwala]
is
a
13-year-old
teenager
who
falters
consistently.
Trouble
at
school,
peer
pressure
and
a
half-baked
romance,
all
contribute
to
his
woes.
A
huge
fight
with
some
local
boys
and
a
stern
warning
from
the
School
Principal
deepens
his
crisis
and
running
away
from
home
seems
like
a
solution.
On
his
journey
of
self-realization
and
discovery,
Shambhu
bumps
into
Vitthal
[Chinmay
Kambli],
an
extremely
smart
kid
who
belongs
to
a
nearby
fisherman
colony.
Shambhu
is
mesmerized
by
this
new
world
he
encounters
with
Vitthal.
Everything
is
in
such
stark
contrast
to
the
world
he
had
just
left
behind.
And
everything
worked
just
fine
until
a
sudden
turn
of
events
force
Vitthal
and
Shambhu
to
set
out
on
a
train
journey
in
search
of
a
place
where
they
can
find
the
freedom
they
desire.
Kaccha
Limboo
starts
off
really
well,
with
Ballary
handling
the
material
with
great
care.
Childhood
can
be
a
delight,
but
in
today's
chaotic
world,
the
kids
are
often
exposed
to
the
realities
of
adulthood
very
early
in
their
life.
The
incidents
depicted
in
the
film's
first
hour
[peer
pressure,
puppy
love,
familial
frustrations
and
high-school
dilemmas]
seem
so
real,
as
if
they
were
borrowed
from
your,
mine,
our
lives.
The
incidents,
anecdotes,
occurrences
and
episodes
are
worth
noting,
especially
Shambhu's
interaction
with
his
classmates
and
also
with
his
parents
[with
his
father
in
particular].
In
fact,
the
viewer
is
introduced
to
Shambhu's
grumpy
and
irritable
nature
at
the
very
outset,
when
Vinay
Pathak
and
Rukhsaar,
family
friends,
are
invited
home
for
dinner.
The
kid
experiences
the
lonely
stages
at
home
and
also
at
school
and
the
film
offers
an
insight
into
the
emotional
confusion
that
he
experiences,
besides
creating
a
touching
awareness
of
his
unspoken
agonies.
But,
like
I
pointed
out
earlier,
Kaccha
Limboo
goes
haywire
in
the
post-intermission
portions.
One
only
expects
Ballary
to
come
up
with
a
much
better
second
hour,
but
you
feel
exasperated
after
a
point.
The
film
ends
abruptly,
leaving
the
viewer
wondering
what
really
happened
to
Vitthal,
who
fell
off
the
train?
Also,
why
is
Shambhu
felicitated
by
the
School
Principal?
Did
Shambhu
actually
commit
some
act
of
bravery
to
merit
a
felicitation
in
his
school?
If
yes,
what
was
it?
No
explanations
are
offered,
frankly!
Ballary
has
injected
a
couple
of
songs
in
the
narrative
and
though
at
least
two
numbers
are
decent,
the
song
in
the
fishermen
colony
was
just
not
required.
In
fact,
it
only
makes
the
proceedings
lengthier.
I
would
like
to
make
a
special
mention
of
the
dialogue,
which
are
wonderful
at
places.
Talking
of
performances,
Sarika
is
natural,
while
Atul
Kulkarni
handles
his
part
with
ease.
The
show
actually
belongs
to
the
kids
-
Taher
and
Chinmay
-
who
are
the
real
stars
of
the
enterprise.
Taher
delivers
a
spontaneous,
deep
and
convincing
performance,
while
Chinmay
catches
your
attention
with
a
splendid
performance.
In
fact,
it
is
Chinmay
who
makes
vital
portions
of
the
second
hour
come
alive
with
his
bindaas
portrayal.
The
remaining
kids,
each
of
them,
are
complete
natural.
Rajesh
Khattar
is
effective.
Iravati
Harshe
does
well,
but
where
does
she
disappear
suddenly?
Bhairavi
Goswami
gets
no
scope.
Vinay
Pathak,
in
a
cameo,
is
passable.
Ditto
for
Rukhsaar.
On
the
whole,
Kaccha
Limboo
comes
across
as
an
unripe
and
undeveloped
effort.
Disappointing!