banaras a mystic love story,

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The spiritual journey of the protagonist -- Urmila -- is treated with utmost sensitivity. From being the doting daughter to rich Brahmin parents, to her fondness for a lower caste boy, to the tumultuous events that change her life, right till the climax, when all unanswered questions are answered, every sequence in the film has been composed and executed with rare maturity.

The film is rich in emotions and the concluding reels -- Urmila returning to Banaras to meet her dying father -- take the film to an all-time high. Keep your kerchief handy at this stage, for the concluding 20 minutes are sure to melt even the stone-hearted. Without doubt, it's the highpoint of the enterprise

On the flip side, a film like Banaras - A Mystic Love Story has its limitations. Although the subject matter is aimed at a universal audience, the theme as also the slow pacing wouldn't really excite every strata of the movie-going audience.

Irrespective of how this film fares, director Pankuj Parashar will earn a lot of respect for his handling of the material. Beautifully shot and excellently treated, Banaras - A Mystic Love Story is -- from the aesthetic point of view -- Parashar's finest work to date. His handling of the emotional moments take you by complete surprise since Parashar has never ever attempted a film on relationships.

The review would be incomplete without acknowledging cinematographer Nirav Shah's contribution. Not only are the stunning locales of Banaras beautifully captured on celluloid, even the texture of the film is of international quality. Himesh Reshammiya's music is okay, although the background score [Surender Sodhi] is far more effective. Dialogues [Javed Siddiqui] are natural and seem straight out of life.

Urmila has already evolved into a fine actor and Banaras - A Mystic Love Story only cements her status further. Watch her in sequences when she gets to know that Ashmit has been murdered or towards the finale, when she returns to her dying father, and you'd agree that only an accomplished actor could've portrayed the part so proficiently.

Ashmit Patel is a revelation. The youngster, who didn't make much headway as an actor in his earlier films, gets to prove his mettle in this film and he impresses tremendously
Raj Babbar and Dimple Kapadia excel yet again. Babbar is competent all through, while Kapadia is outstanding in the climax when she reveals the truth. Naseeruddin Shah is first-rate. Akash Khurana is highly competent. Arif Zakaria [cop], Rajiv Mishra [Maha Maya], Javed Khan, Om Katare and Perveez leave an impression as well.

On the whole, Banaras - A Mystic Love Story is a sensitively handled story that will earn immense praise from connoisseurs of meaningful cinema. But the film has very little to offer to the masses, which in turn will reflect in its overall business. A strong word of mouth from the gentry/elite should help its business at select multiplexes.