It is all about how we make it!

Last Film Show (Chhello Show, Gujerati; 2021)
Director: Pan Nalin

Growing up in a lower-middle-class Asian family, the last thing we were allowed to do as children was to indulge in too much time watching movies. Movies were considered evil, deterrents that would derail us from our purpose in life. In their eyes, the purpose of life hovers around getting into the fields of law, medicine, engineering or teaching (if you are a female). Anything else would not just cut it.

As we grew up in our own time, we realised that life is neither black nor white. Straying away from the top four noble professions did not make one a failure, and following religiously along the pre-planned path would assure success.

This Gujerati film is a surprise nomination for the 2022 Academy Award Best International Feature Film Category, instead of 'R.R.R.' or 'The Kashmir Files'. This movie, by all means, is not an original one. It is inspired (or plagiarised, depending on which camp one is) by the Italian 1988 masterpiece 'Cinema Paradiso'. Many undeniably familiar scenes give viewers the feeling of deja vu. Suddenly the small railway town in Gujerat feels like the heartland of interior Italy.

A 10-year-old boy, Samay, is thrilled when he is taken by his father to watch a movie at the local cinema. Usually, he does not allow his children to watch movies, but since this is a devotional movie, he makes an exception. He thought perhaps by viewing such a movie, some good values may seep in. He also warned Samay and his sister that this would probably be their first and last film show.

Little Samay is, however, totally captivated by the projection of light and panoramic range of colours that seem to emanate from that tiny hole up in the wall. Besides his school time, when he hardly concentrates anyway, and the help he gives at his father's tea stall at the railway, he spends most of his time in the projection room after befriending and trading his lunch with the projectionist.

In this coming-of-age film, young Samay and his inquisitive friends sneak around, steal rolls of film, get into trouble with the men in blue, and, finally, a big lesson in life. The film's highlight must surely be their effort in screening a movie from an improvised projector made from discarded household items and their voice-over for sound effects. Whatever is said and done, this movie is highly commendable for its creativity.

The other lesson the storytellers seem to impart is the impermanence of everything around us. At once, these projection films were such valued merchandise; they were protected under lock and key with police protection. The next moment, we see that they are worthless. They are discarded with other trash. Even as discards, the film rolls are still helpful. They give joy to many young girls in the form of coloured bangles. The projector and film covers are recycled as cutlery.

An exciting viewing, 8/10.

(P.S. The School of Hard Knocks have taught me that nothing is wasteful. Immersing oneself in the make-believe world of Tinseltown or the mirage of the cyber world will not turn that person into someone he does not want to be. Everyone has the mental capacity and free will to decide the path that he wants to follow. Knowledge has no boundaries and can never be wasteful. The same media that spews porn also teach coding. Films put reality on screen. It mimics life for us to appreciate that life is precious and is malleable to the path we want to follow!)

(P.P.S. Interestingly, the protagonist's name is Samay, meaning time. We can see how Samay @ time evolves with everchanging exposures and challenges that hit upon it. And it is ever ready to change!)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.