It is a 2023 Indian Hindi language drama. Written & directed by Avinash Arun. It starsShefali Shah, Swanand Kirkire & Jaideep Ahlawat. Shailaja Desai is diagnosed with dementia. Kirkire is her husband & Ahlawat plays her childhood sweetheart.
It premiered at the International Film Festival of India on Nov 24, 2022. It was released in Indian theaters nearly an year later, on 3 Nov, 2023.
Renuka Vyavhare of The Times Of India gave it 3 out of 5 stars. ‘Revolving around the passage of time, nostalgia, closure & stillness. It is ‘meditative & melancholic.
Prateek Sur of Outlook gave the film 5 stars, describing it as the best film of the year & calling it’a masterpiece in acting’.
Udita Jhunjhunwala of Mint labelled the film ‘unhurried & intimate’.
The film is slow paced & unhurried really. When she visits her school, she is looking at the walls or moving in the rows of the benches in her class, touching & looking for something… searching.
Why dementia? Many women would like to visit their schools or hometowns were they made so many memories. Her husband accompanied her only because he doesn’t want her to get lost.
Would he come to the Konkan place, Vengurla if she had requested earlier? All of us have hidden memories from childhood, some good some not so good. Revisiting is a luxury not everyone can afford.
The pace makes it comfortable to think with her. We also enjoy the clean beaches & lapping waves, undisturbed.
Asian Entertainment 