Film: Darbaan (Guard)
Date:04 December 2020
Director: Bipin Nadkarni
Writer: Bipin Nadkarni, Rakesh Jadhav
Cast: Harsh Chaya,
Sharib Hashmi, Sharad Kelkar, Rasika Dugal
A family nurtures a caretaker like a member of the house and a caretaker rears his son like his master, sounds confusing, well that is the intention of the story. Darbaan was to be theatrically released on 3 April 2020, but postponed due to COVID and is finally streaming on ZEE5 platform today. It marks the debut of director Bipin Nadkarni in Hindi cinema.
An adaptation of a 1918 short story Khokababur Pratyabartan, written by Nobel Prize winner Rabindra Nath Tagore, it is a tale of one mansion and three generations. First generation is, Bade Babu/ Harsh Chaya who is into coal business and recognizes diamonds. Bade Babu brings home a young lad, Raichand/ Sharib Hashmi to look after his son Anukul and Raichand becomes a part of the family.
A few decades later, Anukul/ Chotte Babu/ Sharad Kelkar calls upon Raichand now retired in his village to look after his two-year-old son Siddhu and again, Raichand becomes a part of the family. The plot is simple so is the treatment. Time and again we deliberate on the importance of content in movies. We emphasize the need to think and write out of the box ideas but I am of the opinion that if content is original it is always impactful. And original content surrounds our day-to-day life it is just a matter of recognizing it.
The hero of Darbaan is Gurudev Tagore’s story, a simple story of trust and submission. Lovingly shot in soft dissolves on picturesque locations, it has melodious music from Amartya Bobo Rahut and Raajeev Bhalla supported by lyrics from Manoj Yadav, Siddhant Kaushal and Akshay K. Saxena.
Yes, the pace is a deterrent because everything moves on an even keel without drama or excitement and the one scene where they artificially try to infuse hysteria in the market place is an eye sore.
There are no negative characters but they go through difficult times and perspectives change. All the actors – Harsh Chaya, Sharad Kelkar, Rasika Dugal, Sharib Hashmi deliver sensitive performances but the actor to win your hearts even though invisible on the screen is Annu Kapoor with his sensitive narration.
Darbaan is a film you can comfortably watch with your entire family and caretakers on Zee 5. I rate Darbaan with 3 stars.
Bhawana Somaaya