Dheet Patangey Review: A Tinge Of Melancholy, A Tincture Of Philosophy And A Few Laughter Interspersed Here And There Makes This A Sweet Must-Watch

There are some films you watch and you think about a lot, then there are some you watch and just forget and then there are some, which you don’t think much but they do leave a taste in your mind, some relic of the past is suddenly enlivened in your mind, your being is made to experience a déjà vu of sorts! That’s when you mull over the little scenes perhaps the moments that you saw in the film. You reflect on them. All I want to say is, it stays with you even when it doesn’t!

That’s the kind of reflex (if that is the right word in this context) I chanced upon after watching this pretty film made for the web platform! Helming the film is the son of one of my favourite directors and producers the Adhikari Brothers! Ravi is the second generation of the family. From one look at the film, it doesn’t seem to be made by a newcomer. Even though the film has a tried and tested look and feel to it, the treatment made me feel good!

Dheet Patangey literally translates to the ‘adamant fireflies.’ Well, there is a little bit of a literary connotation to ‘Patangas’ also called ‘Parwanay’, the fireflies – According to Urdu poetry, it is said, these insects that came out only during the night were so small, that no one could see them, everyone was oblivious to their existence, but with the flame of the candle, they reclaimed their being, they somehow knew, it is because of the flame that their existence has a meaning and thereafter they never left it. Some even die in the flame but they are obstinate (Dheet) and they keep hovering around the flame without a care in the world.

Many Urdu Shayars (poets) wrote beautiful couplets about the love affair between Shama and Parwanay (in this case Patangay)

The film tells the story of four friends in the backdrop of 1983’s India-West Indies World Cup. The friends are almost the same in a way and at the same time starkly different from the other. All have their own things to do in life but in a way are just letting life take its course. It is because of a sudden jolt by providence that they are forced to think things over and take the reins of life in their own hands. They were always adamant about things but it took them that one jolt to realise that and keep working towards achieving what they wanted forever. That’s the crux of the film.

The film is directed by Ravi Adhikary. It features actors Shivin Narang, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Ali Murad, Hardik Sanghani, Tillotama Shome and Priya Bannerjee.

Coming to the direction, well, it is easy breezy, no usage of false gimmicks, little moments have been beautifully threaded into a sweet philosophical tale that comes a full circle. The best part of the film is, none of the characters is half-baked. All the guys in the film have a motivation, each one of them achieves it and then the narrative moves on to the next. Never does it feel as though it is forced, the stories are well-rounded and they come off as relatable. That’s what became of the film in my sensibility! Not going to much into the nitty-gritty, I could see myself in each character, be it Shivin Narang’s Maddy who writes his wishes on a balloon and lets it fly with a hope that it might reach someone somewhere who has the same hope and it would make him or her happy to see at least someone has his or her wish fulfilled. Or Chandan Roy Sanyal’s Anand who wants to be a successful journalist or Ali Murad’s Parvez Rabbani who has lost his heart to this beautiful Kashmiri Brahmin girl but doesn’t know anything apart from that. Or Hardik Sanghani’s Sandy D’Costa who has a complex of being short, someone who has lost his childhood because his parents were dwarfs.

The writing is free-flowing without any hiccups at all. That’s what is of the utmost importance when it comes to a film. Neither did the pace feel abrupt and neither were there sudden jumps in the narrative. It had an old-world appeal to it that was constant throughout the film which was another factor to draw my attention! I won’t be giving out much of the film. One has to watch it to seep the experience within. However, there surely were times when the plot became a little too predictable courtesy of my film school background. Well,  you see, it kind of gives me the knack to see through the screenplay but I evade it, it only gets overwhelming when it is a bit too much.

The actors played their parts to the T, absolutely no complaint on that front. It was at once endearing and at once funny! The best part is the film never quite went overboard. It was subtle and restrained.

There have been much better films (especially in the world cinema space) where the theme of death has been marvellously handled. Kiarostami being one of my favourites when it comes to that. Having said that, our Indian audience isn’t quite ready which such a stark narrative yet. I am apprehensive whether it will ever be ready for that though! Therefore, this film surely hits the right notes. It would make you realise a lot of things and mull over aspects of yourself which perhaps you as a person tend to take lightly!

All in all a sweet film, with a tinge of melancholy, a little bit of longing and a tincture of philosophy and all in absolutely balanced quantity. It is a must-watch. They rarely make such sweet family films nowadays!