The Blue Umbrella vs Taare Zameen Par

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There is a poignancy about growing up. Children have a way of experiencing joy and sorrow in all its completeness. Nothing matters as much as the possession of a beautiful magical toy. No loss in later life will equal the loss of that treasured possession. In The Blue Umbrella, Vishal Bharadwaj brings the simplicity and the raw agony of childhood’s moments of angst to the screen. Why did no one tell me that it was such a good movie?

I could never quite fully explain why I had my reservations about Taare Zameen Par, which was being hailed as the breakthrough Indian film on childhood by all and sundry. But, I could verbalize what the film lacked (for me) after I watched The Blue Umbrella. In my opinion, The Blue Umbrella is probably one of the finest Indian films on childhood that has ever been made.

And here’s why I thought that The Blue Umbrella was a greater film than Taare Zameen Par…

• Above all else, The Blue Umbrella is a very subtle film. Emotions are experienced more powerfully because the film is told simply and gently. This is a welcome shift from TZP (and much of Hindi cinema) that feels compelled to move at extremely high decibels (starting from Aamir’s entry) to have impact.
• The Blue Umbrella recognizes that human emotions are complex. It does not level everything down to the LUD (Lowest Understandable Denominator).
• Taare Zameen Par was laden with cliches – whether it was Dilshaan with his buckteeth and cute ‘alien’ hairstyle or Aamir as the good rebel teacher. In comparison, the characters in The Blue Umbrella have been scripted as people, not types,
• Unlike with Taare Zameen Par, the storyteller does not have a high powered theme like dyslexia. It is about the love and longings of ordinary people. Yet, he/she goes on to weave a very creditable story. Do we have another example of a story from Hindi cinema that draws you in so completely, even when it just revolves around a blue umbrella?
• Aah… The Blue Umbrella… what cinematograhpy!!!! Camera angles are always for a reason. Again and again, shots come together to tell a story. Incidentally, it is this that contributes to the films great subtlety. Even if The Blue Umbrella was not a landmark Indian film on childhood, it would still rate as a landmark film in terms of cinematography.

Another aspect that had to be appreciated about The Blue Umbrella was that it was an extremely well told story. Every incident was there for a reason and everything tied into each other.

It is also not often that a storyteller gets you to experience joy and sorrow in all its poignancy.

The film also demonstrates the extreme versatility of the director Vishal Bharadwaj. He moves with ease from the world of gangsters (Maqbool and Omkara) to the world of children/everday being. The only connecting thread is the complexity that he gives to both the worlds.

It’s also not everyday that a director succeeds in giving you three landmark films in a row.

As most of us know, the film is based on a story that runs under a similar name, penned by Ruskin Bond. As a great Ruskin Bond fan, I enjoyed the spirit of the story telling of Ruskin Bond that Vishal Bharadwaj had succeeded in re-capturing in his film. This was similar to the manner in which he managed to reflect the spirit of Shakepeare in his previous adaptations of Shakespeare (Maqbool and Omkara).

In an interview a long time ago, Mira Nair had expressed the view that Vishal Bharadwaj was our most international filmmaker, I was among those in the audience who completely agreed with her. Unlike Hindi film makers like Karan Johar, Vishal Bharadwaj’s films are all deeply rooted in India. Yet like the great Satyajit Ray, he is a truly international filmmaker because of the economy, simplicity and subtlety of his story telling. He is western in his sensibilities and Indian in his spirit.

On that line of thought, I can’t help thinking on why this film never made it to the Oscars.

As I did stray to a comparison earlier in this post, let me also speak about something that TZP did have and The Blue Umbrella lacked… Aamir Khan (it’s biggest strength and flaw – depending on the angle at which you look at it) and some great PR.

There’s no point in telling a great story if it plays to empty houses. TZP, even when it compromised on the integrity of story telling, did manage to mix commercial success with a unique story. In this respect, TZP scores over The Blue Umbrella as the more successful film.

Having said that, Aamir remains my favourite Hindi cinema actor. But, I must admit that for me The Blue Umbrella is the greater film. If you still haven’t watched it, get yourself a copy of the DVD.

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Tags: Aamir Khan, Taare Zameen Par, The Blue Umbrella, Vishal Bharadwaj