Shyam Benegal's Antareen (Confined), released in 1994, explores the relationship between a man and woman whose only link is conversation over the phone.
Dimple Kapadia, neglected mistress of a rich man, calls up people randomly and talks to them. Anjan Dutt is a writer who comes to stay in a dilapidated palatial house of his friend. He likes to be left alone there and writes, drinking tea. The phone rings and it is Dimple on the other end. They get to talking and she tells how she ended up as a mistress to save her family of a sick father, brother, sister and mother. They refer to a Rabindranath Tagore story and she alludes to her life. She says she hates her mother and the writer tells her to go see her. She does that. The man wants to meet the woman, but she refuses. They talk without exchanging names or addresses.
The body language of the two and the man's wait for the phone call and the disappointment when there is none, speak volumes. The camera catching the walls of the old palace and lighting all suit the mood of the film.
Finally the man leaves the house and boards a train.
Well... what happens next, I don't want to say.
I hope if you are interested enough you will watch the movie, and if you have seen it you know.
Movies like these were in those days called art movies contrasted with masala movies. So the ending cannot be traditional and leave space for us to imagine or draw our conclusions.
The movie is available on youtube and runs for 1.35 min.
Dimple Kapadia, neglected mistress of a rich man, calls up people randomly and talks to them. Anjan Dutt is a writer who comes to stay in a dilapidated palatial house of his friend. He likes to be left alone there and writes, drinking tea. The phone rings and it is Dimple on the other end. They get to talking and she tells how she ended up as a mistress to save her family of a sick father, brother, sister and mother. They refer to a Rabindranath Tagore story and she alludes to her life. She says she hates her mother and the writer tells her to go see her. She does that. The man wants to meet the woman, but she refuses. They talk without exchanging names or addresses.
The body language of the two and the man's wait for the phone call and the disappointment when there is none, speak volumes. The camera catching the walls of the old palace and lighting all suit the mood of the film.
Finally the man leaves the house and boards a train.
Well... what happens next, I don't want to say.
I hope if you are interested enough you will watch the movie, and if you have seen it you know.
Movies like these were in those days called art movies contrasted with masala movies. So the ending cannot be traditional and leave space for us to imagine or draw our conclusions.
The movie is available on youtube and runs for 1.35 min.
