And Once Again Review

And Once Again we have to sit through another Amol Palekar directed movie. Okay granted that Amol Palekar makes films for a niche audience, but is this audience big enough to make the movie a box-office success. Highly doubtful! After having burnt his fingers when trying to make a commercial film like ' Paheli' , Amol Palekar had switched back to his original art-house style of film-making for his next movie ' Thaang' . It even won him a National Award in the Best English Feature Film category. Expectations were high from Amol Palekar, but has he fulfilled them, lets first go through the movie to find out.

Rishi (Rajat Kapoor) and Manuvela (Rituparno Sengupta) are enjoying a second honeymoon of sorts in the scenic hills of Sikkim. Manuvela is an architect who has dragged her husband Rishi along with her on this trip. They visit a monastery where Rishi sees something that would change the course of his second marriage forever. He sees a female monk who resembles his first wife Savitri (Antra Mali). Here we find out that Manuvela is his second wife whom he had met while getting treated by a psychiatrist .Rishi had took treatment for the trauma of losing of his first wife and son in a Bomb Blast in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia 18 years ago. Manuvela is that psychiatrist' s daughter, she met Rishi and they soon fell in love and got married. His second marriage helps him get back on his feet. But now all of it is threatening to fall apart as it turns out that female monk is Rishi' s first wife Savitri.

A complex situation to be stuck in for all the three, the movie goes on to reveal how Savitri survived the blast and why she chose to shun material life to become a Buddhist monk.

To be honest the concept of this film is good and interesting. However it fails to transform into a good script; the mystery surrounding Savitri' s survival, her changed view of life and the future of Rishi' s second marriage are all unraveled in an uninteresting way. The film is high on emotional quotient but fails to pull on the heart-strings.

The director seems to be confused about whether he is trying to make an off-beat film or a commercial film. He fails to show the complexity of the relations that are created by the unusual situation. And the message' And Once Again we face life' is lost.

Despite having quite an experienced star-cast, the performances by all are not much to talk about. Antra Mali' s devoted wife turned monk character is not very believable, neither is Rituparno Sengupta' s insecure wife act, Rajat Kapoor is strictly okay.

The movie is very slowly placed like all Amol Palekar movies and looks more like a promotion for tourism in Sikkim which is not surprising as this movie is co-produced by the Sikkim Government. Shot only in span of a month the movie was poorly promoted, hence it is likely to sink in the Box-office.

Rating: **

Verdict: And Once Again another one of Amol Palekar' s film is destined to sink at the Box-office.

Reviewed by: Harshal Anand

Hide Editor Review.