REVIEW : LIFE IS GOOD

Producer- Anand Shukla

Director- Ananth Mahadevan

Star Cast- Jackie Shroff,Saniya ,Ananya , Ankita ,Rajit Kapur , Suneeta Sen Gupta Chhaya,Darshan Jariwala ,Mohan Kapur and Saanand Varma

Genre- Social

Platform of Release- Theatres

Rating- ***1/2

Heart-warming Gem of a film

With a solemn, quiet life in the picturesque hills of North India, Rameshwar (Jackie Shroff) is slowly feeling his world slip through his fingertips. The accountant, in the throes of a midlife crisis, has lost the person he loved the most: his mother. Her death had brought his life crashing down and left him completely alone. It was as though a shadow followed him around. His solitude was only furthered by his lack of partnership.

With no wife or child, it is up to Rameshwar to figure out his next move and tackle life on his own. Can he make the changes he needs to in order to feel complete again? At first, depression takes over him. He feels as though he has nothing to live for, like he is lost in the maze of life. He contemplates putting an end to nhis life altogether, but the universe has something else in store for him, someone to guide him through.

Mishti, (Ananya) a six-year-old girl enters Rameshwar’s (Jackie Shroff) life with divine timing. Her amazing spirit and zest for life intrigue him as he witnesses her blossom from a young girl into a woman. But, all through her aging, he realizes that their time as friends may soon be over. Mishti moves to America with her husband. However, to Rameshwar, losing her is not an option. He will not stand for another close person leaving him once again, after he had lost his mother. When a twist of fate strikes, Rameshwar is forced to figure out how to continue on with his life and find the answer that seems to be right in front of him!

Director Ananth Mahadevan who is known for tackling emotional films with aplomb sets out to depict the theme of loss, longing, and hope with heartrending portrayals in the moving film. Alphonse Roy’s cinematography in the hills of Panchgani, Mahabaleshwar, the blue river, sunsets and the misty milieu is a balm and melancholy in equal measures, while Abhishek Ray’s music adds to the film’s charm and Ajit Verman’s background score is just about apt for the film.

Jackie Shroff as Rameshwar steals the show out and out and is to put in a word, simply phenomenal. He looks like an accountant and even sports a slight paunch, like many average middle-aged men from small towns. He wins over your heart instantly especially in a scene when a teenage Mishti takes his boss (Rajit Kapur) for a double-seat bicycle ride, and he hears a loud vehicle horn — the fear of an accident and losing Mishti is so palpable on his face. I would not even hesitate to state that this one is Jackie’s best performance till date as an actor. Suneeta Sengupta Chhaya, as Mishti’s aunt, stands her ground, and the child actors Saniya, Ananya and Ankita too are good.

To sum it up, I’d say that this is a heart-warming film which ought not be missed at all