Tryst with Destiny which won the Best Screenplay Award at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City is streaming now on SonyLIV platform. This anthology of four different stories is connected with one single thread that is destiny and how it change the lives of everyone was depicted in a heart-touching manner.
Fair and Fine
It’s the story of business tycoon Galava Mudiraj who got everything except the fair skin complexion which makes him restless. To give his grandchildren a fair complexion skin, he enters into a business deal where he gets his daughter married to a fair-skinned man.
Ashish Vidyarthi as Mudiraj lives in his character and it’s not an exaggeration to say that he replicates Mudiraj in every angle and frame so that the character only gets highlighted rather than the actor. Suhasini Maniratnam was equally competent and she looked quite resplendent in her character of Yayati Mudiraj.
The River
Gautam (Vineet Kumar Singh), the butcher, and his wife Ahalya (Kani Kusruti) live an isolated life as they belong to the lower class. The caste inequalities deprive them of normal life as one trip to a river nearby where they witness the fish in the river change the perspective who now wants to lead a normal life far away from discrimination and exploitation.
Both Vineet and Kusruti excel in this short flick where there are minimum dialogues and more expressions which convey all their feelings and fears effectively. Kusruti steals it with her spot-on facial expressions and it’s a delight to watch her performing on the screen.
One BHK
Kuber (Jaideep Ahlawat) an honest short-tempered traffic cop has to tread the dangerous path to please his mistress Laxmi (Palomi Ghosh) who chides him for not being able to get a house of their own. Kuber in a do-or-die situation succumbs to her pressure and faces the consequences which change his entire life.
Ahlawat was a natural performer and he proved it again and Palomi too has done a great job by giving out her best as a mistress with a sky is the limit attitude.
A Beast Within
Bhau (Amit Sial) who vouches to take revenge against the tigress which was responsible for the death of his child has to wage the war against the forest officials headed by unrelenting Neelam (Geetanjali Thapa). Set against a forest backdrop, A Beast Within portrays various angles of human perspective who had a common objective but different ways to achieve it.
Amit Sial is a highly talented actor who can fit into any role and the character of Bhau provided the right platform to showcase his acting potential once again. Geetanjali Thapa too has done a fabulous job in the role of a desperate forest official who fights against the odds to reach her objective.
Behind the scenes
Prashant Nair, who has written and directed the series Tryst With Destiny was the true master of the ship. His way of storytelling with an emphasis on visuals and expressions rather than on dialogues is a lesson to all budding filmmakers.
The aesthetic sense prevailing all through the series like the peacock, the banyan tree, the dark clouds, the water drops were a delight to watch. Prashant Nair deserves a lot of appreciation for his immaculate storytelling capabilities.
The photography by Avinash Arun was of the highest standards and those frames capturing various colours and hues were extraordinary. He made it possible with bare minimum lighting and the final episode which was shot entirely in dark mode was a testimony to his creative bent of mind.
Then the outstanding contribution of background score by Naren Chandravarkar and Benedict Taylor was a treat to listen to and enjoy. Those violin interludes have come out exceptionally well and this duo scored another hit with their amazing background score.
Final Verdict
Best Screenplay Award to Prashant Nair was the real recognition to Tryst With Destiny which is an endearing syntax reflecting the harsh realities of life. If you want to watch an anthology that was rich in visuals, BGM, and laced with perfect narrative, Tryst With Destiny should be the first choice. Go for it!
