Love is usually explored in popular culture along with the events that led up to it. It is seen as a trophy, as a means of cleansing from suffering. In doing so, the burden of fantasy comes with it. Love seems to offer a solution. However, through all of this, there is no expiration date. If there is a specific moment that defines two people’s feelings for each other as extraordinary, when will it stop? Who will burst the “happily ever after” bubble? de hor de piard We continue to ask these questions and dig deeper into the flawed individual, beyond the often-projected perfect exterior. The film isn’t interested in seeing portraits of smiling families, it’s interested in seeing the imprints they leave on empty walls.
Director: Sirsha Guha Thakurta
Starring: Vidya Balan, Pratik Gandhi, Ileana D’Cruz, Sendhil Ramamurthy
The film follows Anirudh (Pratik Gandhi) and Kavya (Vidya Balan) as a couple who have been married for 12 years. They came from different parts of the country and had to elope to get married. Now, after so many years, the dreams woven by young minds are beginning to fade. As it turns out, love alone isn’t enough. For them, it remains hidden, often crawling into bed in the space between them, or making its absence known through lackluster eyes when encountered. Therefore, both of them seek a companion other than their marriage partner to fill the emptiness in their hearts. Anirudh has been dating Nora (Ileana D’Cruz) for two years and she feels comfort in her presence. Similarly, Kavya wins the heart of photographer Vikram (Sendhil Ramamurthy) and they plan to live together in a flat area by the sea in Mumbai. The exciting rhythm of these newfound romances is broken when Kavya’s grandfather passes away and she has to visit her hometown of Ooty. To my surprise, Anirudh also decided to join us.
The film takes its sweet time establishing the nature of their relationship and what it was like before it slipped into everyday life. Her debut director Sirsha Guha Thakurta creates visuals that speak for themselves in establishing the signs of eroding love, where silence carries the burden of a wounded bond. There’s always an awkward atmosphere, as if the two are strangers. Whether in the taxi heading to the airport or on the plane where they appear to be sitting in separate rows, the space between them remains intentionally empty. Later, in Ooty, the two decide to head to a hotel that was the center of an elopement many years ago. Their hearts are filled with nostalgia and Kavya wonders what happened to their lives. She points to the half moon in the sky and says that in her movies it is always so beautiful and perfect. In her eyes, there is a certain longing for the eternally beautiful romance in her long-running films. In a moment of meta-recognition, her unwanted desires reflect the almost legendary glory of her past life in contrast to the harsh reality of the present.
Along with that, the tone of the film also hits some notes. There are very few instances where humor is interspersed with serious scenes, adding to the frustration of the characters. Kavya starts an argument with her rude father who tells the typist about the death of her late grandfather. It reminded me of the hilarious plumber scene in “She Was” kapoor and sons (2016), although the results have not been fully realized. Vidya Balan displays a strange mixture of her anxiety and her calm charm in the scene where she confronts her father. At other times, she brings maturity and vulnerability mixed with the confused outlook of a teenager. Her scenes with Pratik enliven the film with his gentle, cheerful attitude towards her pent-up roughness. Their performances complement each other beautifully and bring out more from their characters than meets the eye. Crucially, it is in their downfall that the film reveals its deepest layers.
I’m watching de hor de piard It’s like listening to a melody that feels familiar but affects you in different ways. It is also a meditation on the long-lasting epilogue of love. About marriage, which is more than just showing up every day, and the heartwarming connections that can be made over and over again. The victory lies in not falling into the repetitive trajectory of “finding each other” or “love rekindled” and thereby protecting yourself from becoming reductive. What it chooses to leave behind is a feeling of comfort in imperfection. It reiterates that marriage is not a one-day job and that love is a verb, not a noun.
