Such a Long Journey
by Sturla Gunnarsson
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Ranjit Chowdhry, Roshan Seth, Soni RazdanDirector: Sturla Gunnarsson
Producer: Don McLean
Producer: Firdaus Kharas
Producer: Paul Stephens
Producer: Simon MacCorkindale
Producer: Stephen J. Turnbull
Writer: Rohinton Mistry
Writer: Sooni Taraporevala
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 113 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-06-26
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Image Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Such a Long Journey
Movie Review: masterful performances and a bird's eye view of life in early 1970s India
Summary: 5 Stars
Such A Long Journey has to be one of the most underrated films I know; it got critical praise but it deserved far more awards than it received. I hadn't even heard of this film until just about a week ago; and when I watched it this afternoon it really moved me. The casting is perfect and the acting is some of the best I've ever seen. The cinematography enhances the picture and the choreography works well, too. The plot moved along at just the right pace to keep me interested; there is significant character development without a messy plot.
When the action begins, we are quickly introduced to an Indian Parsi named Gustad Noble (Roshan Seth) who works at The Central Bank of India as a supervisor. Gustad's goals in life are to get the bills paid; and he especially wants his eldest son Sohrab (Vrajesh Hirjee) to attend India's Institute of Technology (I.I.T.) although Sohrab recently decided he doesn't want to go. This infuriates Gustad and he even tries to beat Sohrab with his belt strap but his wife Dilnavaz (Soni Razdan) intervenes to stop the domestic violence.
And yes, other reviewers are quite correct to note that Gustad's world is crumbling all around him. In addition to his son not wanting to go to I.T.T., Gustad receives mysterious letters from his old friend Major Jimmy Bilimoria (Naseeruddin Shah) imploring him to deposit huge sums of money (10 lakh rupees) into the bank where Gustad works. Gustad is soon forced by threats and concerns for Jimmy and his own family, so he devises a scheme that will enable him to slowly deposit the money with the help of his friend Dinshawji (Sam Dastor) who works as a teller in the same bank.
But more complications threaten to change Gustad's world forever. His son Sohrab, feeling too much pressure to attend I.T.T., runs away from home and now Gustad and Dilnavaz don't know where he is; although Gustad claims he doesn't care it's obvious that he does care. Moreover, suddenly the people who worked with Jimmy and who originally wanted the money in the bank now want it all back within the week; and they tell Gustad they'll "break bones" if he doesn't do exactly what they want him to do. Gustad and Dinshawji are under incredible pressure to get the money back to the others who Gustad and the others think are doing secret military missions. To make matters even worse, Gustad's youngest child Roshan (Shazneed Damania) develops malaria; and it's touch and go as Gustad and Dilnavaz desperately hope for her recovery.
At the same time, there are the issues surrounding the wall in front of the run down apartment building in which Gustad lives with his family, a mentally challenged man and an older woman who tries to solve family problems using "curses" and "spells." The wall was once a place for people to urinate; Gustad wants that to change and he asks a street artist to paint drawings on the wall so that it will be a beautiful place once more.
And the plot can go anywhere from here. Gustad remains in great danger; some mighty tough guys can easily wipe him and his family out and still sleep like babies the very same night. Does Gustad get the money back or is he caught by his remarkably strict, meticulous manager at the bank? How does Dinshawji make things worse by flirting at the office? And what happens to Sohrab--will he come home or is this no longer possible--and why? Will the wall remain standing once the pictures are painted onto it? Will Roshan recover from malaria? Sorry, no plot spoilers here--watch and find out!
Such A Long Journey will stay in my mind a long while. This is a remarkable movie about human beings struggling to survive as they are almost powerless when pressed up against tragedy after tragedy. I highly recommend this film for people who enjoy very high quality control drama; and people who want a bird's eye view of the harsh life Indians faced at the beginning of the 1970s would do well to add this DVD to their collections.
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