Article Updated 05 February, 2005 02:01:47 AM IST   Black By Prema K. ©2005 Bollyvista.com   It has been a long wait for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s next film and believe me ‘Black’ is worth the wait. This film is special and brings about strange stirrings in your heart, although it tends to get on your nerves in the first half hour. It feels like one is watching a play and Mr. Bachchan gives enough reason for that. His performance in this bit reminds one of ‘Aks’ and that is not very encouraging! However, the fate of the film at the box office is sealed- it is not a film for the masses. So the collections may not be encouraging at all. But that doesn’t take away the fact that it is a well-crafted film and is very high on emotions. It grips the viewer despite the lack of sex, skin, and songs in it. In hindsight, one does miss the fantastic music that Bhansali’s films are so famous for. ‘Black’ reminds one a bit of his directorial debut, ‘Khamoshi’. In ‘Black’, he has delved into the psyche of a girl who is not just deaf and dumb but is also blind. The lack of songs and the choice of locations make it a very dark and depressing film. The film has no traces of glamour at all but is still very captivating. He has handled the subject in an extremely sensitive manner. Michelle McNally (Rani Mukerjee), born to an Anglo-Indian family, is deaf and blind. A bright and intelligent girl, Michelle lives in a dark world. To add to this is a lack of understanding on her father’s part. This frustrates the young girl leading to mood swings and temper tantrums. She develops a destructive bent of mind and gets violent at the slightest provocation. Debraj Sahai (Amitabh Bachchan), an eccentric and alcoholic, is said to create magic with his deaf and blind students. The principal of the school, an old friend, believes in his ability and sends him to the McNally house to teach Michelle. He reaches there in a slightly drunk and angry state. There are a lot of obstacles in his way but eventually he succeeds in teaching Michelle her first word - Ma. This is just the beginning of their relationship. He also brings her up to a level where she gains admission to a college for normal kids. Unfortunately for Michelle, Debraj starts to suffer from the Alzheimer disease at this point. He goes out of her life and eventually when they meet after 11 years, he has fallen prey to the disease completely. He has forgotten everything. The roles are now reversed and she takes it upon herself to bring back his lost world! To say that Bhansali has extracted superb performances from his cast would be an understatement. Rani undoubtedly has given an award winning performance. Bachchan follows. Even Shernaz Patel, who plays her mother, Nandana Sen, who plays her sister, and Ayesha Kapur (junior Michelle) are outstanding as well. The film has a lot of special moments. It is difficult to pick and choose. But Nandana Sen’s wedding and engagement sequence, and the scene in which Rani asks Bachchan to kiss her on the lip to make her feel complete as a woman are very touching. Cinematography by Ravi K. Chandran is truly international. A film definitely worth watching! **** (FOUR STARS) *poor; **average; ***good; ****very good; *****excellent   close   Print this Article http://www.bollyvista.com   http://www.bollyvista.com/article/a/29/4163