The earlier movie by Aparna Sen, “Mr and Mrs Iyer” was good. Though slow like her earlier movies, it was a beautiful woven fairy tale. Naturally I had many expectations from her latest “15 Park Avenue” (15PA).
Aparna Sen’s movies are slow and would not be categorized as regular Hindi Masala movies. 15PA is a story of two sister one a university Professor, highly intelligent and the other suffering from schizophrenia. The older sister played by Shabana Azmi is divorced and taking care of her mother played by Waheeda Rehman and her younger step sister, Mithi played by Konkana Sen Sharma. The story revolves around these two mostly but also looks at other relationship. Mithi is suffering from schizophrenia which is further aggravated by her gang rape when she goes for a journalist assignment. Her boyfriend Joydeep, played by Rahul Bose, who first thinks he can handle her illness backs up and leaves her after the rape.
But this situation leaves Mithi devastated where she goes from bad to worse. He imagines himself married to Rahul and has 5 children of her own and leaves in a house in Kolkatta calle 15, Park Avenue.
Years later when Joydeep or Jojo as Methi calls him is holidaying in Bhutan with his wife and two children. He sees Methi and feels guilty about the situation she is in. Methi fails to recognize him and takes him as a friend who will find her house for her. Jojo accompanies Methi to Kolkatta where he tries to help her find 15 Park Avenue
The subject of schizophrenia is handled well by the director. Schizophrenia patients are seen as insane by the society because they tend to believe in something which the society knows does not exist. They have created a make-believe world of their own which they are confident that it exists. However this make-believe world of theirs has a negative impact on the people around them. They don’t know what to trust and what not to trust.
15 PA is exploring this impact on the people around a schizophrenic patient. The same way the Marathi film Devrai did. “Devrai” was a much better movie and educated the mass about the diseases at the same time telling a beautiful story. You actually feel for the main protagonist (Atul Deshpande). In 15 PA its just a story. The audience does not identifies or feel for Methi or her sister. At some instances the movie drags but then with the re-entry of Rahul Bose, you wait for the climax. The climax is confusing when Rahul and Shabana themselves start searching for the imaginary 15 Park Avenue.
Shabana Azmi as the frustrated sister, Rahul Bose as the guilty boyfriend, and Shefali Shah as Rahul’s jealous wife does justice to their role. Their roles are brief and hardly gives them a chance to show their talent. Shefali however scores over Rahul. Waheeda Rehmaan does not have much to do except cry. Dhritiman Chatterjee plays the doctor who is treating Methi and plays a very significant part because his conversation and discussion with Shabana are the high point of the film. Their discussion attempts to look into the mind of a Schizophrenic patient. Kawaljeet Singh has a very short role of a professor who wants to marry Shabana.
Konkana Sen Sharma as Methi is good and I mean real good. She acts, behaves, walks like one. She plays the confused, under-confident and scarred methi to perfection. Like “Devrai”, the actor who plays the patient holds the key to the movie.
Although the movie tries to capture the life of a Schizophrenic patient, it misses something. The story moves at a very slow pace. The movie is certainly not made for the masses as the whole movie is in English. You really have to think while watching the movie.
Compared to the earlier “Mr and Mrs Iyer” this movie fails to create interest and even hold audience attention.
Rating : 5/10
Good review! Had seen some part of the movie but did’nt like it.
nice review. the movie has been sitting on my desk for around 2 months now, but i just couldn’t get myself to see it, despite the good reviews (everyone else seemed to like it) i saw everywhere else. somehow, even when everything seems right (good acting, good director, etc) things don’t fall together in the right way, i guess…
very nice write-up and liked that reference to Devrai…a few print reviewers out here in Bombay missed mentioning it. Hey – enjoy your long weekend and have a blast !
I haven’t seen Mr&Mrs Iyer, but am definitely disappointed by the movie…i agree that the scenes related to Schizophrenia r well directed and aptly enacted by Sens but the climax is definitely not fitting with the theme of the movie…and yes it is too slow
He imagines himself married to Rahul and has 5 children of her own
You confused me with that sentence! :-p
I have now seen it. It drags a bit in the second half. But hats off to Konkona. Wow, she is an actress with capital letters. I also loved Shabana Azmi’s and Dhritiman Chatterjee’s performances. Rahul didn’t convince me much in this one.
The end left me a bit like…. hello?!
Monica
Well! It left me confused at first too but the end is to understood. Is Methi alive or did she die in the middle of the movie? Who also has Schizophrenia? Rahul or Shabana? The end can be interpreted the way you want. Its like the end of 2001-A Space oddessy
-Punds
all you people who feel like a movie should be spoon fed to u, this is not a movie for u go watch another srk or akshay kumar movies. this is a movie that questions reality. it makes u think not in a logical way but in a very figurative way. it asks you about your own life. i bet everyone have had that feeling once in a while, it’s like an outter body experience when you go like this is not my life. this is not something i will do. this is exactly the point of the movie. it’s left to your interpretation. sen wants you to come up with the ending. to make it your own, so it’s like u not feeling that outter body thing. this can happen to u. who knows maybe the keyboard that you r typing in isnt really there. likewise, azmi could have been imagining the who thing. and that doctor, did u ever wonder about his interest in azmi. it wasn’t because he wanted to have a relationship with him. maybe he was her doctor. but the beauty of the movie is that you dont have to believe me. u can come up with the interpretation that best suits you. now tell that’s not a good movie. email me if u have to bella87mits@yahoo.com
My perception of 15 Park Avenue is entirely different. Have reviewed it here http://mesoliloquy.wordpress.com/2008/12/16/15-park-avenue-what-is-reality/
I think the last shot is the main revealing part. Actually Azmi was the real schizophrenic. The story of Mithi was her delusion. A film not for mass.