The ending seems rushed, but “Ankhon Dekhi” is still a film that deserves a viewing.

Us Indians put too much emphasis on religion and social stigma. And in doing so, we all let go of a certain spirit required to uplift life. That’s what Raje Bhauji does in Aankhon Dekhi. He breaks free. The detachment makes him look like an odd ball, but it also gives him the happy-go-lucky nature, the sense of impulse that is needed to spice one’s life.

Aankhon Dekhi is not a film that will invite public love, the way Queen or Highway have managed to garner over the past month. It eschews typical Bollywood razzle-dazzle to paint a stark but vivid portrait of the search for meaning and truth in our lives, where the laughter and the tears both come from the truth laid bare on screen. It is an intensely rewarding experience, with an ending that will haunt you for days afterwards.

What’s interesting though is the impeccably portrayed milieu, the familiar sounding familial interactions, the ensemble assemblage of quality actors and by and large, a distinctive intention to stay away from the superficial and the formulaic.

…a well-made and well-enacted film but too philosophical and just too class-appealing. It will, therefore, not be able to score in the cinemas.

As city films and portraits of ordinary people taking a step towards an extraordinary light go, Aankhon Dekhi is an enjoyable confection, delivered by an ensemble cast, especially Sarao as Bauji’s daughter and the ever-dependable Brijendra Kala as his partner in crime, that brings immense energy and vitality to the show.

For a change here is a film that shows a part of Old Delhi without the overriding Punjabi flavour. Shot in an Old Delhi haveli, Bauji’s house is a character in itself. There is so much going around him that you wonder how Rajat, Resul Pookutty (sound) and Rafey Mohammed (cinematography) managed to capture this chaos with such clarity and how these endearing snapshots of life were put together in an order by editor Suresh Pai. Every character is well etched… But it is Sanjay Mishra who is the tour de force of the film and could well be the second Queen this March.

Cinema at its whimsical best!