This is a superb movie shot in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh. The lead characters are Biniya(Shreya Sharma) and Nandkishor Khatri (Pankaj Kapoor).
Biniya is a small girl who lives small village on the mountains which is shown to be a tourist spot. It is frequently visited by foreign tourists. Nandkishor is a shopkeeper of a Chai Stall and shown to give things to villagers on credit. He is shown to be a miser and always looks forward to save money and is therefore tonted by many village children.
Biniya is a cute little girl who helps her Maa in her free time by taking the cows and goats for grazing. Once it so happens that while she is doing the same.....She finds a Blue Umbrella. This umbrella is actually of a Japanese Tourist girl. This Jap.girl notices a Jantar (A necklace made of a bear's claws or teeth- (It is supposed to work like a lucky charm). Biniya likes the umbrella so much....that she trades the Jantar for the Blue Umbrella. Now....Bini is the most famous girl in the town with a unique Umbrella...and the only Blue Umbrella in village. Nandkishor and the others feel jealous of the fame and comfort Biniya earns through the umbrella.This is where ...2 - 3 characters in the movie are shown plotting to steal the umbrella and keep it for themselves. The umbrella gets stolen from Biniya....but the Sarpanch and the police are not sure of who has done this ill deed. Being a village, lieing and stealing...are worst of crimes. And once the culprit is caught, they outcast that person.
In the end ....when Biniya follows the trail of her stolen Umbrella, she finds out..NandKishor to be guilty and proves it with enough evidence. Liar-theif ...and that too to a child.....the village turns their back towards Nandkishor Khatri. No one buys tea and biscuits from his stall. He is not invited to any weddings, functions or even places like saloon, evening chats and dispensaries.
Nandkishor is now teased by kids as "NandKishor~~~~~~ Chatri Chor"...There are a few scenes where Mr. Director has shot it so beautifully and also very simply....Few of them are...
** When the umbrella is falling from the sky when it falls where Biniya is.....Mr. Director it seems he must have attached a camera to a falling hankerchief...or perhaps and Umbrella too.
** When a snake sneaks into Biniya's house.....It looks like there was a camera on a head of one of the snakes itself.
** When Biniya and her big brother(literally) were talking to Nandkishore...in one shot Camera captured all of them..with beautiful background as well.
Some of the dialogues are just so catchy.......like the one just at the starting of the movie..
"Angreji mein bhi jhooth bolta hai koi??"
"Iske neeche (Chatri) to suraj bhi thanda lagta hogaa!!"
RajaRam-"Chacha .....chaata lekar koi faaydaa hoga kya?"Nand Kishor- "Indradhanush ko dekhke, koi faaydaa hota hai kya?
Paani mein choti si naav teraa ke koi faaydaa hota hai kya?
Pahaadi ke peeche, suraj ko doobte dekh ke koi faydaa hota hai kya?
Tere jaise nikhutu ko kaam pe rakh ke koi faayda hota hai kya?
Aatma ki shanti mein nafa nuskaan nahi dekha jaata!
Kuch pichle janam ka sambandh hoga...Khatri aur Chatri ka"
"Are Nau---Nandu ki daadi se tinka nikaal lena (Chor ki daadi mein tinka) ""Chori karna paap hai...nadi kinaare saap hai"
This is a film meant for children...but I think kids from today cannot appreciate this film as there is no Superhero, no action scene and also there are no foottapping dhinchaak songs. Children today ,are crazy abour video games, playstations, Barbie Dolls, Disneylands......they might not relate to a girl's sadness for her stolen umbrella. I am saying this as I tried to make my nieces to watch the movie....but they got bored in the first 15 minutes only. That's how I know. Maybe, its more to do with the way their upbringing.
The scene where Biniya's umbrella is getting stolen, the time is somewhere in the evening...Mr. Director again ....his originality....he did not add bright colors or even extra effects ...he has flimed the scene in darkness and that too showing the serenity of mountains with a dash of superb background score.
The movie released in 2005, but I got the opportunity to watch it just a few months back....and since then I have watched it thrice.....ready to go for another time too....!
MisHra & PooJa.
