Although female foeticide is a serious issue, it seldom gets pointed out in mainstream Hindi cinema
Lessons in Forgetting
A; Drama
Dir: Unni Vijayan
Cast: Adil Hussain, Maya Tideman, Roshni Achreja, Raaghav Chanana
Rating:u00a0
In fact, the so-called regressive television shows fare better in this regard. So when a film like Lessons in Forgetting comes along, the depth of its seriousness appalls you. And that’s why this particular endeavour helmed by Unni Vijayan -- despite its shortcomings -- is a clear winner.
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Set in Tamil Nadu, the story follows a US-returned father (Adil Hussain) on his trail to find out what really happened to his daughter (Maya Tideman). During the course of his journey, we are introduced to characters, who provide an inkling of the horror that preceded them. As the plot shifts from one person to another, we land up in a town that isn’t very fond of girl children. Cruel is a rather incompetent word to describe some of its inhabitants’ medieval mentality. In the end, the climax explodes to an abstract justice.
Based on Anita Nair’s novel by the same name, the dialogues are in English for the most part but Tamil makes its presence felt, thus keeping you attached to the backdrop. It could have been any other state for that matter.
There are moments of grief staring right at you. And many scenes will make you shut your eyes in horror.
On the downside, there are unnecessary subplots added to enhance those characters, who don’t contribute much to the overall structure. The editor should have let his scissors go and helped reduce the timeframe. While some sequences are mature in their execution, several others beg for finesse.
In terms of acting, Adil delivers as expected after his last few outings. Maya Tideman fits in perfectly as a misfit. Raaghav Chanana’s act as her boyfriend has promising layers.
Films of this genre do not happen often. At least not as often as they probably should so watching it won’t hurt as much. u00a0
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