Chatri Chor (The Blue Umbrella) (2007)

Chatri Chor (The Blue Umbrella)
Language: HINDI
Genre: Childern
Director: Vishal Bharadwaj
Producer: Vishal Bharadwaj, Ronnie Screwvala
Cast: Pankaj Kapoor,Shreya Sharma
Music: Vishal Bharadwaj
Lyrics: Gulzar
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Synopsis
Desire...How far can one go to fulfill it. Mentioned above is a theme responsible for numerous films through time. Spreading across genres, ranging from dark film noir thrillers to breezy sentimental comedies, the theme has churned out classics and trash alike.

'The Blue Umbrella' too finds itself in similar terrain. Only the object of desire here is an umbrella, blue in colour.

While going about her every day chore of taking the cows out for grazing, Biniya, a ten-year old girl child from an idyllic mountain village in North India, comes across a party of picnickers. Nothing special about that but this time she notices an object in their possession that catches her fancy. In a brief interaction they discover that both can arrive at an agreement advantageous to them. While the picnickers get Biniya's leopard claw locket, Biniya walks home elated with a brand new sparkling blue umbrella. It is the most beautiful thing she has ever seen. So has Nandkishore Khatri.

Nandkishore Khatri runs a small tea stall in the same village. While everyone in the village have their bouts of jealousy regarding the umbrella, especially when they discover it is American made, Nandkishore goes to remarkable lengths in order to possess it. His attempts to buy the umbrella off Biniya despite having offered a 'reasonable' price fail miserably. He has all but given hope. He will have to forget about it and move on but then, his wily servant Rajaram, a boy Biniya's age, has something to suggest. Something is cooking at Masterji and the Village Doctor's house too...

Biniya's umbrella goes missing. The village is convinced that Biniya has lost the umbrella but she knows better. It has been stolen. What follows is Biniya's resolute search for her umbrella and a discovery, sweeter and more beautiful than the umbrella.

'The Blue Umbrella' is an allegorical tale especially relevant to our time. The umbrella serves as a symbol to the sky above and to possess it means to rule the world. We all want to rule the world but will it make us happy? To what length can we go to own it? And finally, if it is so beautiful and worth fighting for, should we not share it?











'Blue Umbrella isn't just for kids'





Pankaj Kapur



Related Articles
• Review: An irresistible Blue Umbrella
• Images: Behind the Umbrella

January 03, 2007

You could just call him Midas. Give Pankaj Kapur a great role and enough room to improvise, and the result on screen is pure gold.

Hitting the screens this Friday is Vishal Bhardwaj's Blue Umbrella, an adaptation of Ruskin Bond's novella of the same name. Winner of the National Award for Best Children's Film, it stars young Shreya as Biniya, opposite Kapur who plays shrewd shopkeeper Nandkishor Khatri.

Raja Sen caught up with the legendary actor in an attempt to discover his thoughts behind his latest character. Excerpts:

The Blue Umbrella is a very special film indeed, and belongs to a different genre. Do you believe children's cinema is very neglected in India?

Well, I think that is a different issue and The Blue Umbrella is a different issue, because I don't look upon it as a children's film. I don't think that a film that has children in it necessarily needs to be a children's film. I think it's a film for all ages, because the film is talking about greed, getting rid of it, and what it can do to a person -- in a given milieu. This could happen to any person in any strata of society. Because the film is largely dealing with the relationship of village children and a shopkeeper, one tends to look upon it as a children's film, which is not right.

Coming back to your question, I would agree that children's cinema is greatly neglected in our country. I suppose the problem with that is most people are not aware what children's cinema should be like. Either they tend to create children who are pretentious, who are unlike children and made to behave like children we do not see in real life. Therefore the film, from the very outset, becomes pretentious. And that age group is so sharp, so responsive that they are able to catch on to the pretence from the very first frame, and so reject it.

Also, most people do not understand how to deal with a children's subject, and so do not attempt it. Some try and attempt it simply because they are unable to get their hands on a bigger star to make a bigger feature film, so they end up saying, 'Ok, let me make a children's film. Maybe I'll create a platform for myself, show that film to some big ones, and they would allow me to make a bigger film.' Unfortunately, that's the way it happens.

There are very few like Vishal who, when he made Makdee, decide that the film is for and about children. How they think about things. As long as we are able to understand how children behave, their perspective, in a realistic manner and capture that behaviour, and through the storyline make it interesting and not pretentious but truly fun-loving -- I don't see any reason why even adults won't like to go and watch that kind of cinema. Cinema which is well-made, for any kind of audience, is worthy of being watched by just about anybody who would like to watch a good story being told.

When you first encounter the character, Nandkishore, you are enchanted by his accent. Did this come naturally to you?

Somewhere one has to work towards it, but yes I am pretty well versed with the Himachali people. I visit Manali almost every year so I know a lot about the place, characters and their behaviour patterns. But you also do things vis-?-vis the script on which you are working.

Pankaj Kapur in The Blue UmbrellaIn terms of fleshing out a character -- his nuances, his eccentricities -- how much of it is actually down to the script and how much is down to improvisation?

See, the basic storyline is, of course, provided by the script. The basic emotional range, characteristic range comes from the script. It is on that basis that then you consider what milieu it is set in, the character's journey, and then you use your own experience. In my case, my attempt by and large is to create a human being I have not created earlier, vis-?-vis the script.

So you start working towards it as an actor. And there are times you achieve this and times you don't, but you make an attempt towards it and for that it's important that your director responds to, understands and accepts that. If that happens, which happened both the times I worked with Vishal, the comfort level of working towards that part becomes much more and it allows you to dig a lot more than is available in the script, allowing you to create a complete human being rather than just give a straight-on performance.

When you in particular talk about creating characters you haven't created before, it must be incredibly hard seeing the bizarre body of characters you've given us over the years. After all that, coming to Nandkishore, how exactly do you see him as a character?

Nandkishore Khatri is basically somewhere as innocent as the woods are, the greenery is. But he's like a flower who has a few thorns and the very basic instinct of a businessman, whereby the fact of profit always exists, even in the smallest manner. Being, in his own mind, in a way, the richest person in the village, at least in terms of cash, he's somebody who can very easily fall to greed, and he does.

Pankaj Kapur in The Blue UmbrellaAnd it's a very minor greed, if we look at it. It's actually an umbrella, not the world he's trying to capture, but because of the innocence within him the realisation happens that for this little umbrella, what has he brought himself down to. To me the most essential part of the film is when he gets over that greed and he repents, and eventually goes to try and return that umbrella to the girl.

To me, that's the human journey which has come to a completion because he's gone through almost a lifetime of emotion, feeling, understanding, and there is a great maturity when he eventually realises that by trying to possess something that did not belong to him, he has become less than a human being, unacceptable even to the most innocent people in this village who would never treat anyone with malice.

In our given story this is the journey of a small shopkeeper in a tiny place, but really, it's the journey of each one of us. So from that point of view, what the film says tends to become universal.

Vishal repeatedly describes this film as his toughest shoot ever because of the freezing temperatures, etc. How was it for you?

It was very tough, especially the winter part because it was eight days of winter shoot. Fortunately we got what we wanted, in terms of massive, constant snowfall. But the place of stay was about a kilometre and a half away from the place of shoot, and we had to walk up and down because no cars could move, and that walk which would otherwise take 20-25 minutes but took one hour in the snow. And there is snow is under your feet and over your head.

The temperatures were extreme, and there was no shade except in Nandkishor's little shop, so everybody was huddled there. It was rather adventurous and at times, dangerous as well. The last scene in which I run towards the girl, when I ran my leg was going into the snow almost down to the knee, so to lift it and pull forward again for the next step was a Herculean task.

Pankaj Kapur in The Blue UmbrellaHow was it working with Shreya, the little girl in the lead? Is it difficult working with children or is their acting more instinctive?

I feel you need to treat children as equals instead of giving them a complex -- you are young, you are small, you don't know. It's when you start giving them that impression that they start getting affected, towards you and their performance, and start feeling the presence of the camera. But in case you act comfortable, like you are with your own children, treat them like an equal, as one actor to another, they start relating to you much more and they feel extremely comfortable with you.

So in this film all the young actors, the children were extremely comfortable with each other and with me, and there was never a moment when any of the young ones felt affected and became uncomfortable with the camera. And yeah, by and large they were all good actors.

~~~The Blue Umbrella (2007) LyRiX~~~
Hindi Song Title: Aasmaani Chatri
Hindi Movie/Album Name: THE BLUE UMBRELLA
Singer(s): UNKHOWN



Hindi Lyrics:
ku ku ku ku....
ku ku kudi ku ku...
arre hey hey re neeli aasamaani chhatri
kuku kudi kuku...
hey hey re neeli aasamaani chhatri
chhatri ka udan khatola, dole to laage hindola - 2
ude kabhi, bhaage kabhi, bhaage kabhi, daude kabhi
samajh na maani chhatri
ku ku kudi ku ku...

ambar ka tukada toda, lakadi ka hatta joda
haath mein apana aasamaan hain re
chhatri lage jalati ho memo jasi lagati ho
goro ka dil beyimaan hain re
??? kabhi, laathi kabhi, laathi kabhi, chadi kabhi - 2
??? shaitaani chhatri
ku ku kudi ku ku...

baarish se jo rishta hain
paani pe mann khichta hain
bijali ko ye pehchaan hain re
shaayad phir ud na jaayein
ambar se jud na chaahein
bholi hain anjaan hain hain re
dube kabhi, tairein kabhi, gote khaati, jaayein kabhi - 2
karein naadaani chhatri
ku ku kudi ku ku...
hey hey re neeli aasamaani chhatri
chhatri ka udan khatola, dole to laage hindola - 2
ude kabhi, bhaage kabhi, bhaage kabhi, daude kabhi
samajh na maani chhatri
ku ku kudi ku ku...


Hindi Song Title: Mera Tesoo Yahin Ada
Hindi Movie/Album Name: THE BLUE UMBRELLA
Singer(s): UNKNOWN



Hindi Lyrics:
yuun ya ya...
mera tesoo yahin ada... yuun ya ya...
khaane ko maange dahi wada... yuun ya ya...
mera tesoo yahin ada, khaane ko maange dahi wada
sukh gaya mera tesoo ye...
sukh gaya mera tesoo, ek taang pe khada
yuun ya ya, yuun ya ya, yuun ya ya, yuun ya ya
mera tesoo yahin ada... yuun ya ya, yuun ya ya
khaane ko maange dahi wada... yuun ya ya, yuun ya ya
yuun ya ya, yuun ya ya...

tesoo ko lomadi kaant gayi... aai mayya
tesoo ko lomadi kaant gayi, daddu handiya chaat gayi
arre tesoo ko lomadi kaant gayi, daddu handiya chaat gayi
handiya rakhi thi khatiya pe
handiya handiya rakhi thi khatiya pe - 2
datoo ki khatiya ghaat gayi - 3
aare laathi badi ki daddo bada
yuun yuun yuun yuun ya ya... yuun ya ya, yuun ya ya
aare laathi badi ki daddo bada... yuun ya ya, yuun ya ya
mera tesso yahi ada... yuun ya ya, yuun ya ya

mendhak bole khari khari, naayi ki muchhe hari hari
arre mendhak bole khari khari, naayi ki muchhe hari hari
gaay ki puchh pe dhaan uga... aha aha
gaay ki puchh pe... aha, ho puchh pe
gaay ki puchh pe... aha puch pe
gaay ki puchh pe dhaan uga
gaay ne kisi ki muchh chari - 3
abhi muchh badi ki naayi bada
yuun yuun yuun yuun ya ya... yuun ya ya, yuun ya ya
muchh badi ki naayi bada... yuun ya ya, yuun ya ya
mera tesoo yahin ada, khaane ko maange dahi wada
sukh gaya mera tesoo, ek taang pe khada
ada ada ada ada yahin ada
mera tesoo mera tesoo yahin ada
tesoo maange tesoo maange dahi wada
ada ada ada ada yahin ada,
(mera tesoo yahin ada
khaane ko maange dahi wada) - 2



Hindi Song Title: Parvatoh Pe Barfaan Barfaan
Hindi Movie/Album Name: THE BLUE UMBRELLA
Singer(s): UNKNOWN



Hindi Lyrics:
na main soni na gharvaal
na guru ???palle na ???
ghar daine phul phuleke soniya
mera soniya

parvatoh pe barfaan barfaan
parvatoh pe thandi barfaan
barsa laagi re
o re beliya - 2 lautiyo ghara re
o re beliya, lautiyo ghara re
parvatoh pe barfaan barfaan
parvatoh pe thandi barfaan
barsan laagi re

(din chhote chhote ho gaye
bachapan ki choli jaise
udhada hi udhada jaayein re) - 2
raatein bhi lambi laage - 2
teri judaayi mein
jaan ka tukada jaayein re
o re beliya - 2 lautiyo ghara re
o re beliya, lautiyo ghara re

(chanda ka jantar deke
raaton se maanga tujhko
abb mee angana mein rahiyon) - 2
pitar ki sukhi sukhi daari jalaayike rakhon - 2
koseli haafo mein rahiyon
o re beliya - 2 lautiyo ghara re
o re beliya, lautiyo ghara re
parvatoh pe barfaan barfaan
parvatoh pe thandi barfaan
barsan laagi re...