Raincoat-Movie Review

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Movie: Raincoat
Director: Rituparno Ghosh
Starring: Ajay Devgan, Aishwarya Rai, Annu Kapoor
Year: 2004

Last evening it was raining and the conversation moved to Monsoon in our respective cities while growing up. We had multiple stories to ponder over raincoat. As mind wanders off all the time, it started recollecting the movie named "Raincoat" and how it warmed our heart. Adding to it is the pleasant, breezy, and cool Bangalore climate compelled us to jot down few lines. We have watched the film quite a while ago.

Directed by Rituparno Ghosh 'Raincoat' is the filmy adaptation of O'Henry's (William Sydney Porter) short story 'The Gift of the Magi'. Coincidentally we were reading 'O'Henry's 101 Short stories' during the lockdown. 

WeReflect: The plot starts with newly unemployed Manu (Devgan) visiting Kolkota to pool money from friends to start a new business. Here he stays with his friend, Alok and his wife who is extremely considerate and helpful. Manu has another reason to be in Kolkota, which is to meet his ex, Neeru who is married and settled in this city now. On a rainy evening he visits her. The former couple starts conversing about old and current life.

Here both Manu and Neeru pretends to lead a happy and affluent life. Manu bluffs being a successful TV producer wherein Neeru spins off stories about her grand lifestyle, globetrotting husband, maids, chauffeurs, rich heritage. In between Neeru goes out to fetch food for Manu wearing his raincoat. Now enters the landlord (Anu Kapoor) and film takes a different turn. How their pretense comes off and how they realize hard realities of each other's life is what rest of the story is.

The on-screen chemistry of Ajay Devgan and Aishwarya Rai in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam was beautiful.  No, we didn't feel Salman-Aishwarya's pairing very appealing in that movie. Ajay Devgan's acting is intense, powerful, and he has sunk his teeth in to the role Manu. Aishwarya's appearance is pale, simple, and very much natural like any other house wives, nowhere near her drop-dead-gorgeous self. And this is the only film where we could appreciate her as an actor.

Almost entire film is shot in a single room and attention to detail is very well taken care of. The background music lingers throughout the movie. A lot of people dismiss this movie as an art film. And yes, we agree. We agree this is not a film, this is indeed an art, an art that weaves an elegant story with such intensity that it fills the heart with emotion and longings. It could be counted as one of the best love stories in Indian cinema if you ask us.