Mr and Mrs Iyer
Directed by Aparna Sen
With Rahul Bose, Konkona Sensharma, Bisham Sahani, Surekha Sikri, Anjan Dutt, Bharat Kaul
India 2002, 120 mins

In a world full of turmoil, there are moments of sheer harmony that brings a fresh and new meaning to our lives. Watching Mr. and Mrs. Iyer brought it home for me in stunning revelation. There's something instantly right about the film that strikes a deep chord in your heart.

You'll find yourself assaulted from the opening moments of this film, stunned with images and words. It swarms around you and overwhelms you with diverse characters, whose lives are out of control, and yet... Aparna Sen has created a tapestry that is woven together neatly and completely. From the start of the journey down the road, you know you're about to see a special film, and director Aparna Sen doesn’t disappoint for a minute.

Beyond it, though, is a story that can - and does - speak to people of all ages and cultures. Sen has adapted with sensitivity and vision, imbuing her film with a strong sense of humanity. The plot revolves round the journey of Meenakshi ( Konkana Sen, Aparna’s own daughter) along with her 9 month old son Santhanam back to her home in Calcutta to rejoin her husband. In typical Indian fashion, her worried parents request Raja Chowdary ( Rahul Bose), a wildlife photographer traveling by the same bus, to assist her along the away.

As the Bus travels along, we are introduced to a host of characters among them a raucous group of youngsters, an elderly Muslim couple, a Jew etc. Midway, the bus suddenly stops and passengers are informed that the bus may not move ahead because of a communal riot between Hindus and Muslims. The moment of truth for Meenakshi, a conservative Tamil Brahmin begins when she discovers that the man accompanying her is none other than a Muslim. She is outraged and wonders whether her trust in him is misplaced.

So does Meenakshi overcome prejudice and hate to transcend the boundaries of human behavior is the question that Aparna Sen seeks to answer through this film. By pitting two extremely different individuals caught in a situation where they have only each other for company and support as they continue on their treacherous journey, Mr and Mrs Iyer does not claim to have all the answers. What the movie makes abundantly clear is that neither of the problems confronting the couple can be solved by a little goodwill and understanding. They demand major changes in society and in attitudes towards caste and religion

I thought Rahul Bose as Raja who made his debut in English August and also played the lead in Bombay Boys, Thakshak and Split wide Open was perfect for his role - all the casting was first rate. He plays a man who keeps to himself, and then is confused by his feelings for Konkana, which I thought he portrayed superbly. He no longer has control, and is perfectly aware that it will end soon. He gives a typically understated performance of a genuinely good man, the lonely photographer who finds love in the worst of circumstances. Konkana as Meenakshi gives a convincing performance as she strikes just the right note of a person blinded by her own tunnel vision, and her personal turmoil in her growing attraction for her fellow traveler.

The film's most moving scenes are its simplest – At one point on the journey home when Meenakshi questions him of his future plans, in a single moment you understand the depth of their desperate emotions when she says “ Will you be traveling alone” and he replies “ Not unless you come with me”.

Aparna Sen treatment of the story is superb, too, and she resists any inclination to succumb to cliches. What is heartwarming about the film is how Aparna Sen recreates beauty and sensitivity without getting overly sentimental or dramatic in the love story that begins to unfold as the movie progresses. For a person subject to prejudice, social interaction comes as a reminder that we all belong to the human race. Aparna Sen deserves praise for bringing in the power of the celluloid screen to deal with such issues to bring the subject of humanity to our myopic vision. By appealing to our innate goodness, her film transcends what we people can or try to do to erase prejudice

In the end, it is the celebration of the human spirit in the face of tragedy that comes to embody the struggle for understanding in a sense of loss. And it is Meenakshi's empathy with their plight that gives her the strength to finally understand the power of love.

The soundtrack of Ustad Zakir Hussain and cinematography by Gautam Ghose are brilliant. The film premiered at the 2002 Locarno Film festival where it won the NETPAC award of Best Asian film,the young jury award for direction and the golden Maile award for best feature. It also won the grand prize at the Hawaiin film festival. Inspired by Sufi philosophy, Hussain’s music and voice embodies Sen's moral message of the need for humanity. Aparna herself says that she used a Sufi song by Meher Ali as also a vachana of saint Devara Dasimayya at the very start which are about Advaita, to bring a different kind of harmony altogether.

Whatever you do, don't miss this beautiful film. It will spirit away your heart.

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