It stimulates the one organ that popular Hindi cinema consistently ignores – the brain! Give it a chance and prepare to be dazzled.

It is by far the most original, the most poignantly realised, the most thought-provoking film that I have seen in longer than I care to remember.

Forget all the artsy-tartsy prejudices about Ship of Theseus. Here are three stories well told, signifying independent cinema’s coming of age.

Ship Of Theseus, no doubt, an intellectual exercise, the sort festival films often indulge in. Yet, the narrative is lucid, and the stories are simple and deeply moving.

Ship of Theseus will never join the 100 crore-club. It was not made with that intention. But it has a right to stand on its own. I know there is an audience out there hungry for good new cinema. Ship of Theseus is the film they have been waiting for.

Doubtless, Ship Of Theseus is an extraordinary achievement. To miss it would be tantamount to missing one of the finest Indian films of recent times.

Gandhi’s ruminative subject, catering to art-house cinema lovers (has won critical acclaim in international film festivals), is deeply layered and beautifully intricate. He doesn’t compromise artistic depth for commerce, even for a moment, though the story-telling is not without flaws. The pace is exhaustingly slow and scenes monotonously long. This idea could be compressed into smaller ‘lifeboats’ and still sail safe. The monk’s deeply profound story stands out.

SOT is a film that challenges your existing beliefs about everything – religion, the food you eat, the water you drink, your relationship with parents, friends, it subconsciously lets loose a series of stream of thoughts that run through your mind. Anand Gandhi scores in making each of these characters seem real. Nothing seems rehearsed, scripted or gimmicky.

Anand Gandhi’s Ship Of Theseus is a bold and challenging film, which presents to you an indulgent story with engaging characters using the art of symbolism. Spread out on the grand vision of experimental cinema, this is a film that will grow on you. Watch it if you have the appetite for Indie cinema. This is perhaps one of recent times’ most eloquent films that have come out of India!

This is a somber, meditative, profound and yet weightless work of unfettered beauty. A life-changing experience. No less. Anand Gandhi defines life’s mysteries in mysterious ways, showing a command over his mammoth philosophical world that Mani Kaul and Jean-Luc Godard would have envied.

This is an incredibly ambitious film, a film that demands that its viewers remain present and thoughtful at all times. Anand Gandhi offers a magical, mystical voyage. At times, viewers might feel, well, all at sea, wondering where Gandhi is taking them, but the director ties his stories together in a way that is surprising and satisfying. Ship of Theseus is one of those rare things: an elegant film that demands that its audience be engaged at every moment.

Once in a while comes a film like this one, which along with shaking your core, also manages to make you grateful for being a humble part of the audience. ‘Ship of Theseus’ is one such rare film.

This is not only a good looking, splendidly directed, shot and acted film, but also a hopeful snapshot of Bombay producing intelligent, challenging yet entertaining cinema on a mainstream scale instead of star studded commercialized hogwash.

Anand Gandhi’s film should be strictly watched for three reasons: a) If you like challenging your intellect b) If you love art cinema c) If you want your eyes to absorb Pankaj Kumar’s spellbinding visuals.

Ship Of Theseus’ great victory is that it got made at all. It is content that you’ve seldom experienced on a big screen. Celebrity backing, studio support, and a proper release gives hope to the next generation of storytellers who want to express themselves and reach the world.

It’s a film of meditative pauses and life as many of us have felt and lived. It reaches out to the heart as well as the mind. Not the kind of film you see very often.