Frozen Movie Review

Frozen director: Shivajee Chandrabhushan (2007) When we think of Indian cinema, we naturally conjure up traditional Bollywood images of singing and dancing, the guy and the girl, amidst an explosion of colour. Debut director Shivajee Chandrabhushan has brought us a film that goes against this grain, setting itself apart stylistically, thematically and culturally – a reminder that the landscape of contemporary Indian culture and society today is not only spectacular but far more diverse and vibrant than such commonplace traditional representations portray. This is a film made by an Indian director that does not lay itself open to categorisation or fitting into a ‘box’. There are of course echoes of Satyajit Ray but this film equally draws from the Italian Neo-realist cinema and even elements of the French New Wave with its sharp editing and stunning visuals coupled with a narrative that presents an emotive portrayal of the human condition. Set amidst the bleak landscape of Ladakh, the most north-eastern part of India, the film relates the story of a family in the face of hardship and new realities as the army moves in, strategically positioning itself right on the doorstep to their ancestral home in this high altitude, remote Himalayan village. Told primarily through the eyes of Lasya’s younger brother Chomo (played by the well-known Ladakhi child actor Angchuk), the balance shifts towards the end of the film with a telling revelation and a disquieting finale. The earlier scene where Lasya asks her father what a miracle is (played by Danny Denzongpa, this being his 150th film), takes on

another level of signification, drawing the narrative full circle, and luring the spectator further into the inner thoughts of each of the characters. The monochromatic visual aspect of the film lends itself seamlessly to the stark backdrop of the Indian Himalaya, the individual loneliness of the principal characters, the collective spirit of the family in the face of hardship as well as the arrival of the army. The opening image of the barbed wire symbolises the recurrent motif of boundaries and conflict that cuts through the narrative and draws the spectator deep into the hearts and minds of the principal characters, in particular the main protagonist of the film, Lasya, incarnated through a radiant performance by first-time actress, Gauri. The film is nevertheless colourful in many other respects, while the choice of black and white gives the film a touch that is all the more arresting, played out through the intense and absorbing attention to detail – one only has to think of the ice hockey scene shot in slow motion or the scene where Lasya and Romeo attend a local traditional festival. Ladakh is a melting pot of cultures and this is indeed an area where cultures collide - Ladakhi and Tibetan, Kashmiri and Punjabi, Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim. Another element that sets this film apart is its use of music. The contemporary music score punctuates the narrative in a way that feeds into the raw feel of the film, particularly towards the end of the scene at the local festival where traditional performances are juxtaposed against a very contemporary alternative musical style. It is a distinctive choice and one that works to perfection. This is a film that will stay in the minds of all those who see it and will no doubt pave the way for a new refreshing young cinema, whether Indian, Asian or from beyond. Describing himself as a sociologist and photographer, one sees how Chandrabhushan strips away the exotic element associated with Asian cinema to expose a certain harshness, something raw that plays into the individual psyche of the main characters whilst exposing a multitude of ethnic and cultural layers that permeate this society – something which is equally relevant to many other communities elsewhere in the world today. It is quite simply a stunning film with an engaging and powerful narrative that will hold a universal appeal for a global audience.

www.frozen.co.in

© Sonali Joshi, 2007