Vimukti

The slate blue waters of the Ganga hide many secrets, both fascinating and gory. Likewise, the recesses of the human mind are a veritable mine for anyone who attempts to dig out the treasure within. The find may bring fresh hope or everlasting despair.
“Vimukti” traces the journey of Madhavi (Bhavana) from infatuation to guilt, understanding and realisation. Suffering from Electra Complex, this young wife who yearns for father (Ramakrishna) Keshav’s total, unconditional love is blind to all else and acts cruelly towards Nouvah (Iranian Houda). She ends up paying a heavy price. Guilt-ridden, she grabs the opportunity of a lifetime, to go on a journey that will change her life.

Director Sheshadri has chosen to examine individual relationships in the context of communal conformity. Supported by a fine, understated performance by Bhavana, the director has rejuvenated a jaded Ramakrishna. The undercurrent of tension between the two is slightly disturbing. The silent pauses, notorious to ‘art cinema’, tease the viewer’s concentration, in places. Praveen Godkhindi’s music is subservient to the film’s soul. The real hero is national award winning cinematographer S Ramachandra, who brings out the innocuous side of temple town Kashi. Playing with only natural lighting, the cameraman then brings alive all the cruel glory that abides in the bleak rooms of Mukti Bhavan, where the dying and neglected are brought in to die and achieve salvation, all within two weeks.
With Sheshadri choosing to dwell more on Madhavi’s quest, the film’s touch-and-go approach tests viewer patience. The second half however redeems the film with the associated gnawing pain–a grim reminder of the director’s class!