Tragedy strikes in ‘Morning Glory’

THERE is merriment in a small village in South India. Seems like some sort of celebration. The next morning two women and their little sons board a bus that will take them to the city. There is happiness written all over their faces. One is Swarnalatha (Shabana Azmi), a talented Carnatic singer with a burning ambition to perform in the city, and the other is her friend, a talented violinist. As the film Morning Glory progresses we learn that they are going to perform at a function in the city. Soon tragedy strikes. Their bus meets with a major accident after a face-to-face collision with a car coming from the opposite direction. Swarnalatha loses her son and friend in the accident. A lot of other villagers are also killed.

A devastated Swarnalatha, blames herself for the unfortunate incident as she had forced her friend to accompany her. She now spends her time in a self-imposed exile and never dares to cross that ill-fated bridge ever, where the gory incident occurred. Twenty years later, Swarnalatha’s friend’s son Abhinay who survived the accident, quit a lucrative job as a composer of ad jingles. He harbours ambitions of forming his own music group and composes memorable music. He is almost run over by Pinkie (Perizaad Zorabian), on a visit to his village. Yes, these are the three main characters in the film, whose lives are interwoven with each other in a strange manner.

What really breaks Pinkie emotionally is her mother’s revelation that it was her drunk father who was responsible for the accident. He was driving the car that collided with the ill-fated bus. Then on, she makes it her mission in life to help Abhinay in his musical endeavours. This is her way of making up the loss of his mother to him. The common love for music brings our three main characters together. The best part about the film is that it does not digress from its subject and venture into unwanted territories. This film appeals even more as not much was expected from writer-director Mahesh Dattani’s after his disastrous debut film, Mango Souffle. But surprisingly this one is packed with emotional moments without any melodrama. The artistic and creative vision of director of photography Rajiv Menon enhances the visual experience. Music by Mani Sharma and Amit Heri is very pleasant to the ears. However, the villagers speaking in English is a little jarring to the senses.

The one scene that stands out among the rest is when Pinkie forcibly takes Swarnalatha in her car across the same bridge where the accident occurred 20 years back. The fear on Swarnalatha’s face and the determination on Pinkie’s face look real. The following scene in which Pinkie breaks down after confessing to Abhi and Swarnalatha about her father’s involvement in the accident is superb.  The climax when Swarnalatha sings on stage with Abhi and his group is brilliant. It brings a lump to one’s throat. Prakash Rao seems to be a natural actor but tends to be a little stiff at times. But surely someone to watch out for in future! Perizaad Zorabian is a natural and easy performer. She gives a controlled performance but is understandably bubbly and energetic during the performance scenes.

The talented Lillete Dubey as Mrs Kapoor, Pinkie’s mother, is a real delight. Only she could have ridden on the back of a buffalo in the village with so much conviction, much to the amusement of the villagers and the audience. The entire sequence which shows Mrs Kapoor’s trip to the village is funny and adds light moments to the film. Lillete exudes the necessary warmth on screen and lightens the mood in many scenes. What can one say about Shabhana Azmi’s performance? She is undoubtedly brilliant in every scene whether she is laughing or crying. Overall a short and sweet film that is definitely worth watching.