Decoding Ankhon Dekhi (2013)

All through our lives, we have been conditioned to believe what has been commonly accepted as the norm. Be it the axiom we read in school, ‘two parallel lines intersect at infinity’ or something as trivial as ‘the lion roars and does not mew’. Seldom have we questioned these, since these were universally accepted facts. None of us ever questioned if a mathematician went to the imaginary space called ‘infinity’ and saw two parallel lines intersect. Director Rajat Kapoor’s 2014 drama, ‘Ankhon Dekhi’ is a simpleton middle-aged man’s take on being rational and only believing what he sees with his own eyes – Ankhon Dekhi.

The movie opens with an introduction to a modest household in old Delhi, where the patriarch, Rajesh/Bauji (Sanjay Mishra) narrates his dream to his family over their daily chores. In his dream, he sees himself flying like a free bird. But in reality, he is not free from responsibilities and has a family to feed – a supportive wife, a daughter of marriageable age, a young son looking for work, along with his younger brother’s family under the same roof. We are shown a righteous, god-fearing man challenge his conscience and question the world around him. Are we rational enough or are the beliefs that make us, based on hearsay? His conflict soon finds an answer when he meets the boy his daughter falls in love with. Contrary to what the world portrays the young lad to be, Rajesh Bauji discovers the boy to be decent and respectful. He is suddenly overcome by a strong wave of rational thinking, where he refuses to believe anything unless he experiences it himself!

Much to his wife’s (Seema Pahwa) chagrin, he starts questioning everything around him. When she sees her devout ‘bhakt‘ husband leave home without worshipping, she earnestly asks the gods for forgiveness even as her husband labels prashaad as ‘meetha kalakand’! As a travel agent, when he is asked by a customer about a trip to Amsterdam, he says with absolute honesty, ‘Flight ka samay bata sakte hai, ab waha kaisa hoga kaise bataye, humne dekha nahi’ and even goes on to question the customer to prove his identity, since he cannot see him over the phone. As a viewer, one tends to question if this is the protagonist’s senility or if our thoughts are so unidirectional, that we fail to see things around us the same way as Bauji does.

Ankhon Dekhi brilliantly touches upon the irrationality with which all of us lead our lives, without being overdramatic and using humour to make a point. Unlike the likes of ‘PK’, this movie does not question beliefs and facts dramatically. It is all done subtly. Written and directed by Rajat Kapoor, who also plays Bauji’s younger brother, Ankhon Dekhi traces the unexpected and peculiar transformation of Bauji from a simpleton leading a regular middle-class life, to a psychic-like phase where he is considered a life coach by his friends. But, we as a society find it difficult to accept an unpopular opinion or questioning of our beliefs. Even as Bauji keeps repeating throughout the movie, ‘Meri nahi, apne anubhav se jo aapko sahi lage, woh karo’, the society deems him mad, including his distraught and helpless family. It is also commendable that the writing lets the viewers form their own opinions and takeaways.

The movie belongs as much to its actors as it belongs to its brilliant writing (for which it deservingly won a Filmfare award). Seema Pahwa delivers a strong performance, as the delightful and warm wife to Rajesh Bauji, who argues with her husband as much as she cares for him. They share quite a few lovely moments, one of my favourites being the one in the end when they go on a holiday together. When she reminds him, it is only the third such holiday in 28 years of their marriage, Bauji endearingly sings a song for her. The rest of the actors fit the bill perfectly and among them, Maya Sarao as Bauji’s daughter, stands out. Having seen Rajat Kapoor in more suave and urban roles, he feels rather out of place in this modest milieu. But, it is Sanjay Mishra as the protagonist Rajesh Bauji, who holds the film together. Playing a delicate character, which could have become comical or unlikeable, he puts the right amount of naivety to deliver a simple and subdued performance. The sequence in the end where he re-narrates his dream and takes a leap of faith (pun intended) seems like the best closure this character required, even if it was rather disheartening.

Ankhon Dekhi deserved a lot more love than it received upon its release. I am glad I chanced upon it 5 year later and I hope and wish it reaches wider audiences in the future as well.