The Lift Boy (Hindi, 2019)
Netflix
The slave sees how comfortable the life of his master is and vow that no one in his lineage should ever be clutched by the curse of the serfdom. The slave is willing to break his back to ensure that his offsprings do not experience that bitterness of having to crack his head to put the next meal on the table. He works through the humiliation, the ill-health, the injustices to appease his bosses. In his mind, his job is his divine duty; his career gives his dependents food, covered their modesty and put a roof on their heads.
The slave paves the way for his offspring to change the family's fate. His hope is that his family would be the exemplary model of a rags-to-riches saga. The offspring, on the other hand, thinks that it is his birthright to be served. He knows his parents have put heavy burdens on him. His parents made sure that their golden goose is pampered to lay the best eggs. The offspring thinks he is too good for his family. He wants out and feels his parents are an embarrassment.
Then, right smack on the face, fate plays a cruel game.
In this simple movie, an 'almost an engineer' student, Raju, who keeps failing his examinations has to replace his father at work, as a lift attendant, after he has a heart attack. As it is Raju's term holidays, he reluctantly agrees. In a real sense, it is not holidays as he has to sit for remedial examinations. It turned to be an eye-opener and a game-changing event for him. Raju initially thought that doing his father's job was way below his 'qualification'. His short tenure and interaction with the occupants of the building that he worked, became a coming-of-age experience for him.
The lift is a metaphorical representation of our desires to elevate ourselves in life. People who worked hard to own a space up there stays longer, but eventually, we all have come down. Also, a point to remember, the uniform that is given to us reinforces upon us our servitude to the profession entrusted with it. With a surgeon's scrub suit, he makes the bold life-saving decision at the nick of time. A person at the check-out counter is supposed to do just that; help in the check-out and tolerate whatever annoyances that comes with it.
Netflix
The slave sees how comfortable the life of his master is and vow that no one in his lineage should ever be clutched by the curse of the serfdom. The slave is willing to break his back to ensure that his offsprings do not experience that bitterness of having to crack his head to put the next meal on the table. He works through the humiliation, the ill-health, the injustices to appease his bosses. In his mind, his job is his divine duty; his career gives his dependents food, covered their modesty and put a roof on their heads.The slave paves the way for his offspring to change the family's fate. His hope is that his family would be the exemplary model of a rags-to-riches saga. The offspring, on the other hand, thinks that it is his birthright to be served. He knows his parents have put heavy burdens on him. His parents made sure that their golden goose is pampered to lay the best eggs. The offspring thinks he is too good for his family. He wants out and feels his parents are an embarrassment.
Then, right smack on the face, fate plays a cruel game.
In this simple movie, an 'almost an engineer' student, Raju, who keeps failing his examinations has to replace his father at work, as a lift attendant, after he has a heart attack. As it is Raju's term holidays, he reluctantly agrees. In a real sense, it is not holidays as he has to sit for remedial examinations. It turned to be an eye-opener and a game-changing event for him. Raju initially thought that doing his father's job was way below his 'qualification'. His short tenure and interaction with the occupants of the building that he worked, became a coming-of-age experience for him.
The lift is a metaphorical representation of our desires to elevate ourselves in life. People who worked hard to own a space up there stays longer, but eventually, we all have come down. Also, a point to remember, the uniform that is given to us reinforces upon us our servitude to the profession entrusted with it. With a surgeon's scrub suit, he makes the bold life-saving decision at the nick of time. A person at the check-out counter is supposed to do just that; help in the check-out and tolerate whatever annoyances that comes with it.
I was planning to watch this one tonight
ReplyDeletehope you enjoy it! with democratisation of movie making in India especially, with a band of new storytellers and directors, we get the chance to appreciate films in new ways. The newer ones stand apart from the conventional way we expect Indian movie to be made!
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