Beautifully shot and although languidly paced, Bhutiani delivers an evocative drama that has surely got to be one the best films you’ll see this year. I’m going with four out of five.

Other than a few faultlines, this is a superb film that shows us how it is entirely possible to die, irradiated by life.

In the end, rather than being about the heavy religious stuff, it is about universal human drama. As a father and son reconcile, it is near heart-breaking. As an old man and his grandaughter sneak out for bhang, it tells you that the most devout have mischief in them. Bhutiani gives death its due dignity, and yet retains its objectivity and subtlety. It makes you laugh, and cry, and think and question. It’s what good cinema and storytelling are meant to do.

Weaving in this typically Indian absurdity, that we all get and perpetuate, to a rather banal moment is what makes Mukti Bhavan a must watch.

Mukti Bhawan is as much about its characters embracing the inevitability of death as it is about their loved ones grappling with conflicting emotions

The plot is too skimpy and with its languid pacing, the movie eventually seems a bit indulgent. The filmmaker’s exposure to slow, contemplative festival films becomes apparent. But the unassuming characters and the humour make it a delightful watch.

If in-your-face Bollywood blockbusters have bored you to death, Mukti Bhawan is your salvation.

A celebration of death and old age that works in parts…

Mukti Bhawan is a life lesson on death itself. Coming from the ghats, this film rises way above its morbid subject.

Though this film tells us why death need not be feared, I came away from it feeling a profound sense of melancholy . It makes us experience the final futility of life without disrespecting the art of living.

And that’s no small achievement.

A heartwarming tragicomic tale about life, death and reconciliation…

‘Mukti Bhawan’ is brilliant, funny, life affirming tale about death, which is supported by a superb script and a flawless cast. Watch it!

Though this film tells us why death need not be feared, I came away from it feeling a profound sense of melancholy. It makes us experience the final futility of life without disrespecting the art of living. And that’s no small achievement.

Despite this annoyance, Mukti Bhawan’s take on death is what makes the film worth a watch. It isn’t an Anand-esque take, neither is it all morose. It is a tone of acceptance.

You don’t expect ordinary lives to have an extraordinary end. That makes this small film larger than film – more because not many talk of life and death with this spiritual sense.