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Vimukt movie review: Nikhil Yadav's wrenching turn anchors this sensitive drama
The Braj language film shot in Prayagraj during Mahakumbh is the sole Indian film selected for the Centrepiece program at Toronto International Film Festival.
Vimukt (In Search of the Sky), which premiered at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival, takes the viewer right inside the villages of Madhya Pradesh, where one poverty-stricken elderly couple live with their mentally challenged son. It is not a pretty picture, and neither does it intend to be.
Social stigma and constant harassment arrive every day, as debutant director Jitank Singh Gurjar establishes from the very first scene. This is India, somehow left behind, in disarray. To survive, faith is the only reasonable solution. But, faith itself dispenses with reason- a dilemma that ultimately forms the crux of this sensitively drawn out feature.
The premise
Vimukt does not waste much time in drawing out the daily routine of this one family in question. Jasrath (Raghvendra Bhadoriya) is the man of the house, even as his limbs are threatening to give up after working at the brick factory throughout the day. The physical labour is too much, but what can he do? His 26-year-old mentally unstable son, Naaran (Nikhil Yaadav), is of no good, toiling away his day catching berries or throwing pebbles in the pond. His wife Vidya (Meghna Agarwal) takes care of the household work. The two of them have to face the relentless mockery of producing a son like Naaran, attaching their current dire situation as a consequence of their sins in their past lives.
Upon Vidya's suggestion, Dasrath agrees to take her and Naaran to visit the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj. It is her faith that something good might be in store if they take Naaran there. A dip in the holy water might just change everything, she says. Vimukt takes some time to reach this point, and although it effectively sets up the concerns, from here on, it takes shape into a different terrain. It is not just a visit to the Mahakumbh; it is a way out of sorts for each of these three individuals.
The Mahakumbh sequences are shot tremendously through the lens of Shelly Sharma, who also serves as the Creative Director and Executive Producer of the film. Hundreds and hundreds of devotees gather here—the land is filled with people who share a mutual trust that taking a dip in the sangam can improve their lives. The camera stays at a distance, fortunately, providing the space for these strangers and their stories to somehow accumulate with Naaran.
Final thoughts
Yet, Vimukt overstays its welcome in these parts. The frames are so consumed in gathering the sights and sounds of the place's maze-like structure that the miseries and darkness that reside within it are lost. Is faith the answer, then? Vimukt seems to harmonise itself too easily with the organised system of beliefs and worship culture to make any larger impact.
Vimukt's sharpest and most memorable asset is the central turn of Nikhil Yadav as Naraan, a performance of aching power and sensitivity. His Naaran is infused with a naivete that never feels false, and it is to Yadav's superb control that the film retains some of its power by the end. Bhadoriya and Agarwal also provide ample support, creating a supremely realistic portrait of a family so conditioned to grief that survival has become an instinct.
Vimukt takes the gaze towards the have-nots and the powerless with care and refuses to let go. Although it is a little too careful for its own good, Vimukt leaves the viewer with renewed grace and empathy.
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