Meel Patthar

Meel Patthar (English: Milestone) is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language drama film co-written, edited and directed by Ivan Ayr and produced by Kimsi Singh.[1] Starring Suvinder Vicky and Lakshvir Saran in major roles, the story follows a truck driver who tries to cope with the tragic death of his wife.[2] The film premiered in the Orrizonti (Horizons) section of the 77th Venice International Film Festival on 3 September, 2020.[3][4] It was also screened at the 25th Busan International Film Festival and the Pingyao International Film Festival.[5][6] Meel Patthar won the Best Film award while Vicky was given the Best Performer Award in the Asian feature film category at the Singapore International Film Festival.[7]

Meel Patthar
Directed byIvan Ayr
Produced byKimsi Singh
Written byIvan Ayr
Neel Mani Kant
StarringSuvinder Vicky
Lakshvir Saran
Music byGautam Nair
CinematographyAngello Faccini
Edited byIvan Ayr
Production
company
Jabberwockee Talkies
Release date
  • 3 September 2020 (2020-09-03) (Venice)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Punjabi

Cast
  • Suvinder Vicky as Ghalib
  • Lakshvir Saran as Pash

Production

The film is partially in Punjabi language as the protagonist is Punjabi who is working in the New Delhi region.[8] It was shot in January and February in 2020.[9] Ayr said that the film "tells you where you are and how much further you have to go." Further explaining: "Like how we say there is a significant moment or milestone one has crossed, that is there in the film. He gets to a certain milestone which he is unaware of and certain things begin to happen which makes things uncertain."[8] After the nation wide lockdown was imposed, Ayr got the film edited and sound-mixed from a remote location. The film was shot in a village in Haryana.[10] To get into how truck drivers operate, Ayr spent time with several one of them for the research in Delhi and Chandigarh.[10] Both the actors took truck driving lessons for their role.[9]

Reception

Meel Patthar received mostly positive response from critics. Namrata Joshi noted that the film "offers a brooding look at lives constantly on the move, yet always paused."[11] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV wrote: "This sublimely multi-layered film embraces the personal struggles of its characters with as much passion as it portrays the manifestations of the social inequities that are an intrinsic part of their existence."[12] Stutee Ghosh of The Quint said, "A cinematic milestone, Ivan Ayr’s Meel Patthar is a moving portrait of a man lacerated by the truth of life."[13] Baradwaj Rangan praised the film and wrote: "This moving tale of a trucker paints a portrait of an ecosystem where everything and everyone appears to be a metaphor for disuse, neglect, ageing."[14] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express called the film "a poignant, lyrical look at the life of a truck driver."[15]

References
  1. "Meel Patthar (Milestone)". Venice International Film Festival. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  2. Panchamatia, Komal (5 August 2020). "Im interested in telling stories about human existence in contemporary India: Ivan Ayr". Outlook. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  3. "Chaitanya Tamhane's The Disciple and Ivan Ayr's Meel Patthar head to Venice Film Festival". NDTV. 29 July 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  4. Shedde, Meenakshi (9 August 2020). "Guru-Shishya: Cuaron And Tamhane". Mid Day. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  5. "Seven Indian films at Busan International Film Festival". Mid Day. 15 September 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  6. Davis, Rebecca (6 October 2020). "China's Pingyao International Film Festival Lineup Packed With Venice Titles, New Chinese Fare". Variety. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  7. "Deeply honoured: Ivan Ayr on 'Meel Patthar' winning best film at Singapore's Silver Screen Awards". The New India Express. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  8. "Ivan Ayr opens up on his film Meel Patthar heading to the 2020 Venice Film Festival". Firstpost. 6 August 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  9. Ramnath, Nandini (12 September 2020). "In film 'Meel Patthar', a truck driver's journey from irrelevance to meaning". Scroll.in. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  10. Chhabra, Aseem (14 September 2020). "Why we must watch Meel Patthar". Rediff.com. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  11. Joshi, Namrata (4 September 2020). "Ivan Ayr's 'Meel Patthar': Life in Transit for Truck Drivers Ghalib and Pash". The Wire. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  12. Chatterjee, Saibal (5 September 2020). "Meel Patthar Review: Brilliant Flashes Of Insight Make This A Genuine Milestone". NDTV. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  13. Ghosh, Stutee (5 September 2020). "'Meel Patthar': A Deeply Moving and Profound Tale of Loneliness". The Quint. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  14. Baradwaj, Ranjan (4 September 2020). "A Review Of Ivan Ayr's Sturdy, Lyrical Character Study, Meel Patthar (Milestone), Which Premiered At The Venice Film Festival". Film Companion. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  15. Gupta, Shubhra (20 September 2020). "Ivan Ayr's Meel Patthar is a poignant, lyrical look at the life of a truck driver". The Indian Express. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.