An evocative piece of social drama hem lined with protest art, director Ajitpal Singh’s debut feature paints a keenly observed portrait of a family struggling to find a foothold on the undulating terrain of life with a brush dipped in hues of feminism and pragmatism. Setting his film in Munsiyari, a scenic hamlet in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, Singh, together with cinematographer Dominique Colin, perceptively juxtaposes a bunch of desperate lives etched in flesh and soul against the natural beauty, bringing out complex socio-political fissures that usually remain hidden behind the shiny placard of incredible India.
The quietly confident Chandra (Vinamrata Rai) who runs a homestay is hamstrung by the absence of a road to her picturesque nest. It not only limits her financial progress but also comes in the way of the medical care of her wheelchair-bound son Prakash (Mayank Kumar). Her booze-loving husband Dharam (Chandan Bisht) can’t relate to her ambitions while her live wire daughter (Harshita Tewari) has aspirations that Chandra intends to emasculate.
Beyond the empathetic gaze, it makes Chandra more than just a poster girl perpetuating woman power. That she carries her share of brittle bones becomes apparent when she hates the presence of her widowed sister-in-law (Sonal Jha) around her or when she decides to manipulate the corrupt village head to dribble past the obstacles.
As the layered texture of the story unravels, we become hooked to the proceedings. The brooding son hides his secret but frowns at the compromises that her mother has to make for the family. Soon he becomes a symbol of deep-rooted patriarchy that Chandra has to carry up and down the hill on her shoulders.
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Dharam is not the villain of the piece. When sober, he oscillates between being stupid and well-meaning but he doesn’t have the tools to address the roadblock. He is also a victim of the patriarchal society where men, instead of leaning on their women, leave a lot of knots for god and liquor to untie.
It is a sharp critique of male chauvinism, corruption, and superstition in rural India but the message is ensconced in a free-flowing narrative laced with humorous moments. The confined spaces where the family lives provide a suffocating contrast to the sprawling paradise that envelops them. The intermittent radio news in the background that provides information on how India is becoming a superpower lends the narrative a satirical tone and provides a reality check. The great opium is perhaps the smartphones and social media that are keeping the guests in the homestay oblivious of the natural beauty around them and Chandra’s daughter of her family’s struggle.
Those who have seen Singh’s much-feted series Tabbar would know that the filmmaker is a master storyteller whose deep study of the human condition doesn’t require the crutches of melodrama to converse with the audience. Without drenching the yarn in overt sentimentalism, he weaves the warp and weft of complex human emotions in such a way that it nudges you to look within to find a reflection of the troubled characters playing out on screen. And it is not an easy feeling when an artist gently but persistently presses the scars the audience feels they have safely covered from the world.
If Tabbar was about how far a father could go to save his brood, here we have a feisty mother who could virtually move a mountain for her family. It is Chandra’s simmering rage and steely resolve that explains the title and defines the film and Vinamrata carries the load with rare equanimity and grace. Her performance is like the gentle sunshine that passes through the wispy clouds that Singh has deftly painted.
Instead of a full stop, Singh leaves us with three dots and plenty to ponder.
Fire In The Mountains is currently streaming on SonyLiv
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