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26 December 2024

Diff review: Naseeruddin Shah and Kalki's gripping take on hope in 'Waiting'

'Waiting' is an exceptional piece of cinema, one that manages to uplift our mood despite the pain it's buried in. (Supplied)

Published
By Sneha May Francis

Trapped in a hospital, as they painfully watch their partners muted and tied down to tubes and machines, two individuals strike the most endearing bond that helps them overcome pain, and rediscover themselves.

You are not alone in your tragedies, stresses director Anu Menon, as she lets us watch an aged Shiv Nataraj and the feisty young Tara back each other, as each rediscovers peace and meaning in their lives. Their foundation might have cracked and crumbled, but they are determined not to let that crush them.

As the curtains roll up, we watch a clock ticking away till it wakes up Shiv, and preps him for his drive to the hospital in the lush green Kochi. He dresses and travels in practiced precision. He collects a cup of coffee from the hospital canteen, and promptly hands it over to the lady at the reception, who smiles gleefully at his kindness. “You work too hard,” he says, before walking away into a world that appears to be his for a while now.

Soon, we are taken out of his world, and into that of Tara’s as she struggles to make her male friends value her video on women’s personal issues. Their banter is cut short, and she’s plucked away from Mumbai to Kochi, to a world that might not value her high heels as much.

As she sits alone in the cafeteria, in the dead of the night, she impulsively decides to share the table (and moment) with the only man she sees.

From there on, Shiv and Tara awkwardly, at first, learn to let each other into their lives. And, soon end up a delightful team despite the strikingly different worlds they belong to. They adapt and accept, although reluctantly, and unknowingly let the other change their perspective in the most beautiful way possible.

Neha Parti Matiyani’s arresting frames lend depth to their pain, and colour to their laughter, while Nitin Baid’s crisp edit lends the perfect pitch to Anu and Jimmy Ruzicka’s narrative.

Naseeruddin Shah and Kalki craft Shiv and Tara with exemplary finesse. While Naseer is outstanding, Kalki too holds her own. A moment when Naseer walks to his parked car, only to break down and throw the medical file he painstakingly collected, is genuinely heartbreaking. Or, when he tackles the silences with effortless ease. Even, Kalki has her moments. How she runs aimlessly, when cornered into deciding the fate of her motionless husband, is painfully poignant.

While the narrative remains loyal to the friends, the other characters are left with little else to do. A doctor branded as “evil and money-making” isn’t allowed to expose his story, or a possessive mother who is told about her son’s unfortunate condition isn’t allowed to express her grief. Among the supporting cast, Rajat Kapoor spins a mean face, while ‘English Vinglish’s Rajeev Ravindranath and Malayalam hit ‘Premam’s Krishna Shankar bring about the smiles.

‘Waiting’ is an exceptional piece of cinema, one that manages to uplift our mood despite the pain it’s buried in.