At a time when even the most powerful man on Earth is calling climate change a hoax, a movie like Kadvi Hawa speaks about that hard hitting harsh reality may be a lot of us chose to avoid. Through the lives of two men affected by the worst case of climate change, Kadvi Hawa from Mr. Nila Madhab Panda is an eye opener.
Mukund’s father is a very concerned old man who has lost his eye sight. He wants to know about the debt of his son who has taken loan from bank for agricultural purpose. Bank has assigned the duty of getting the money back from these farmers to a man who the villagers refer to as Yamdooth. The movie is showing us the blind man’s efforts to save his son from this bank guy.
By showing us the landscape of the climate change hit rural India through scenes that have different shades, Mr. Panda manages to convey the harshness of the situation. The good thing on a cinematic level is the fact that they aren’t lecturing you. It is like an extremely personal story of two desperate men. But the makers show us how that extreme personal trauma has to do with the climate change. While the movie focuses largely on the blind man, even with minimal space, they are able to impact fully depict the story of the bank guy.
The treatment of the film is pretty much in the similar zone of say, a film like Newton. There are zero commercial intentions. But subtle humour which stays in sync with the situations is pretty much there. More than the humour I think it is the way they have conveyed the harsh truth through least verbal exchange that makes Kadvi Hawa a superb one on a cinematic scale. The climax and a few scenes in between are somewhat heart wrenching. Nila Madhab Panda and cinematographer Ramanuj Dutta makes sure that every frame of the film communicates with the viewer.
Sanjay Mishra is simply outstanding as the old man. His concern for his son, the care he shows for the kids and the way he makes us feels the traumatic physical and mental state is just brilliant. Even though the screen time is relatively less, Ranvir Shorey as “Yamdooth” is also delivering a top notch performance (especially that climax scene). Tilotama Shome who played the role of the daughter in law, was also really good.
The hard hitting political statement of Kadvi Hawa is something that you should watch. It talks about a reality which some people try to brush aside by calling as an illusion. It’s a well made film and it is not at all like a documentary.
Rating: 4/5
Kadvi Hawa talks about a reality which some people try to brush aside by calling as an illusion. It's a well made film and it is not at all like a documentary.
Green: Recommended Content
Orange: The In-Between Ones
Red: Not Recommended
