Tryst With Destiny
RATING
Introduction
“At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps India shall awake…”. These were the famous words by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in the Independence Day speech titled Tryst With Destiny, a term which literally means cracking a secret deal with something that is destined for us. Before the big weekend release Sooryavanshi whose review you will get today as well, I finished watching the new Hindi Anthology Series(well actually a film) Tryst With Destiny on SonyLiv. After doing the rounds at various film festivals, the film has finally made it to an OTT platform. Does it manage to impress, stay tuned.
Story & Screenplay
Tryst With Destiny follows four stories of people from different walks of life until destiny finds a way to connect them. Here I would like to point out that although the film is divided into 4 episodes, I would like to review it as a single film simply because the lives of the people coincide. The story here is niche yet philosophical. The screenplay too is textured in each of the four stories. If you look at it on the face of it, you feel it lacks some wholesome content. But when you dwell in it deeper, the theme is prevalent in all of the stories. The first two stories may not give you a full picture but it is from the third story that you can join the dots. Which is why I was surprised as to why the OTT had opted for an episode release as opposed to the full movie. While the first(yes, especially the first) and second stories may seem to end abruptly, the third and fourth stories kind of complete the circle. The screenplay is also reflective of the human nature and different aspects of it are explored quite well. The proceedings are slow but it worked pretty well for me. Overall, experimentation at its best as far as the screenplay is concerned.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are minimal, instead it is the silence that does the talking in almost all the four stories. This silence manages to stay with you after the film has ended thereby leaving a lasting impact. The music and BGM are soft and convey the mood of the drama well. The film us exquisitely shot and some of the frames can actually be used as scenic postcards. Director Prashant Nair has done a spectacular job here. This was an experimentation right from the beginning which could have gone either way. Instead, the kind of satisfaction that I got after watching this film was unparalleled. Kudos to the Direction here!
Performances
The performances are outstanding here. Ishwak Singh as Harry shines in a cameo. Lillete Dubey, Victor Banerjee and Suhasini are quite subtle in their respective roles. It is Ashish Vidyarthi as Galava who is exceptional in a character that is slightly conflicted and layered. Kani Kusruti as Ahalya is brilliant and she can throw in a thousand emotions without uttering a single word. Likewise for Vineet Kumar Singh as Gautam who has no dialogues but brilliantly conveys the point across. Palomi Ghosh as Laxmi looks very pretty and is nicely nuanced in her role. Jaideep Ahlawat as Kuber yet again proves why he is regarded so highly as an actor. There are so many moods to his character and just so brilliantly portrayed. Geetanjali Thapa is absolutely first rate and the fear and helplessness that she brings to her character is just amazing. Amit Sial here is intimidating and quite brilliant to watch in a limited screentime. All other performers are good as well!
Conclusion
Tryst With Destiny is niche but experimental cinema at its best. It may not be liked by everyone but if you enjoy philosophical pieces in cinema then this one is definitely for you. Available on SonyLiv.