Just happened to watch this movie on the cable.Have been a fan of deepak dobriyal since omkara,1971 and Tanu weds manu.this movie directed by Bela negi is a revelation in itself.made on a modest budget that reflects in the production values this movie makes up for more than that in the exquisite storyline and memorable performances by the stellar cast spearheaded by dobriyal.A simple story of an ambitious protagonist who migrates to the city to make it big but returns disillusioned to his native village.the quaint and static life in the village makes him morose and erratic.a free spirited poet he seems to be shackled by the conventions of the village.the sole silver lining in the cloud is 'the woman in red' symbolizing entrapment and guile.she looks glittery but is not gold.the director has very effortlessly captured the myriad ethos and essence of life in the hills.Being a native of the Himalayas(lahaul n spiti)I'm familiar with issues that the director has tried to raise.Alcoholism,environmental degradation,petty jealousies, local politics have been captured effortlessly.there are many layers in the plot.The Director has included the 'red car' plot just to inculcate 'willing suspension of disbelief'.the protagonist is just a face in the crowd but the coming of the red car makes the natives look at him in awe mixed with jealousy.the red car leads to minor upheavals in the otherwise salubrious climes of the village.the car symbolises crass commercialization and its adverse fallout.just like the lady in red who looks bewitching but in reality is a ill behaved entity,the red car looks like a harbinger of good fortune for the protagonist instead it leads to more complications in his life.Another 'red'symbol is found in the rhododendron tree known in local nomenclature as 'bransh'.this tree is a native of the Himalayas and occupies abundant frames in the movie. the protagonist finds solace in two things;alcohol and his dream of establishing a kala kendra in the village. his relationship with his son is another sub plot in the movie.the son looks up to his father but his bumblings make him cynical.the father redeems his lost respect in the last frame of the movie.the movie moves along effortlessly and peeps into the life of the innocent hill people.most of the characters are goodhearted without any malice.the hills have been living for centuries but its the outside influx that has led to chaos.village life in Uttarakhand is almost similar to himachal.we share the same culture and values.i could immediately correlate to the characters and situations in the movie.the protagonist ultimately sacrifices his so called prized possession in favour of a calf symbolizing the victory of simplicity over gaudiness.......wish i too could do that !!!!

It has been a refreshing feel of watching a movie Daayen Ya Baayen, directed by Bela Negi. I share my opinion over this movie at a time when the cinematic technique, storytelling, and plot of Gangs of Wasseypur (directed by Anurag Kashyap) have successfully drawn rave reviews. This discursive backdrop of Gangs of Wasseypur urges me to present my commentary on Daayen Ya Baayen (hereafter DYB), which appears in a certain way an antidote to the former movie. Take an example. The plot of DYB gracefully concentrated on two different orders of violence and fight. One relates to the ecological violence committed by new mining activity on the Himalayan hills. Second concerns itself with the emergence of fighting awareness regarding the on-going calamitous path of opulence; and the resolution adopted to move away from such an anomaly.The story prima facie narrates the desire, dream, and initiatives of a city-returned man – a schoolteacher (Ramesh Majila) – who is disillusioned with the life in Bombay and returns to the Uttrakhand hills. He intends to do something in the village itself for a descent, free life. By sheer coincidence he receives a red car to become locally popular. The red car also invites jealousy of others to its owner. He is interested in getting opened a Kala – Kendra in the village with a view to have opportunities for local artists to nurture and express their talent. They would not migrate to and face a rough tide in the un- embracing cities. The subscripts of DYB illuminate more shades of collective hill life than its main plot. Like the movie 'Om Dar Badar' directed by Kamal Swaroop, DYP is a cinematic representation of a space. Or, to put it in other words a space (Uttrakhand hills) is the character itself than a passive backdrop. The movie captures varieties of physical and human activities, voices, emotions, and exchanges taking place in that space. The fleeting appearance of forest fires and captivating presence of the TV serials between the women serve that intent. Likewise is the transient appearance of a sedate, beguiling woman clad in the red sari on a bus. The characters are rooted in the intersection of time and space; hence are there a number of sub-scripts harmoniously interwoven. The hill, the forest fires, and the buffalo – calf are as much symbolic representatives of the space as the rest of social being. The plot embodies the narrative realism. The non-linear progress of life-course characterises both the large trope and other sub-tropes. There are incidental happenings, like the lottery of a red car won through submission of a jingle. At times, the protagonist regresses in his life-course. Liquor embraces him like other hill youth. Such a moment is as ordinary incidence as the effort of the protagonist to bounce back on the path of a hope in a new rise of the red son in the hills. There is no extraordinariness either with the moment of regression or the recovery from it. The movie interweaves the director's critical message about the development path seen in the hills. It argues in favour of the ecological sustainable path of betterment. The message impressively comes through, for the storytelling does not become preachy. Not ironically, the protagonist's attempt to preach his new vision and judgment invariably draws flak from other characters. Two significant messages come along in an understated way. Ramesh Majila submits to the charm of a beguiling woman clad in a red sari who is always on move. She refuses to accommodate the kid of Ramesh on her bus-seat. The facial reaction of Ramesh conveys his dismal with the reality: the beguiling physical appearance does not necessarily incubate a humane, pleasant inner-self. The latter should receive more attention and regard than the former one which could be misleading. At one point, Ramesh agrees to campaign for the incumbent chief minister of the state. In return, he hopes to materialise his dream of a Kala – Kendra. He explains this bargain to his inquisitive son: he is making a small sacrifice in favour of an indispensable thing to come. There is not much time spent on making his statement exemplary. The director undertakes a rapid movement of scenes towards the protection of a buffalo-calf at the expense of a popular car. This is tantamount to a virtual protection of hill life and its environ.The deployment of symbolism and frames of the camera immensely enriches the plot and comes out smoothly to convey the message. Two examples are worth to note. The sedate, pretty woman on the bus was effectively beguiling. But, she embodied the misleading superficial goodness. Her nasty treatment of the child (Baju Majila) exposes her ugly inner spiritual being, and thus, functions as repellent to Ramesh. The latter saves his buffalo-calf by putting at stake his life and car. He installs the gate of a new Kala – Kendra next to the place where his jettisoned car has been irrevocably hanging. The car initially appeared as a means to attain community respect. The calf was presumed a burden. Towards the end, this equation undergoes a turn upside down. The title of the movie Daayen Ya Baayen refers to the right and left paths of social change. Bela Negi does not intend to resolve the conflict between the two models of development by showing her any simplistic prejudice for one against the other. The third way suggested in the movie bursts forth as a case by case choice. The people in Uttrakhand hills need a Kala – Kendra, but the mining appears destructive and undesirable. DYB is possibly only one movie in the recent time where the protagonist, Ramesh, returns to the village with an intent of discovering an opportunity of descent, free life. Only the malefic spirit moves away from the village to a town. Urbanisation and industrialisation are no longer universal signs of social progress as per Bela Negi's third way. Accolade!

What a fantastic film I discovered recently. I cant believe that I didn't see it before. Daayen ya Baayen is full of subtle humor, nuances, wonderful characters and such a lovely story line. The story seems simple but it is quite complex. It is about a guy going back from the city to the village and finding that not much has changed back here. He finds his raison d'etre in building an art school in he village. But a red car arrives in his life and takes him on a different trip. The story is about this and a lot more - its a life lesson. I can see it again and again for the many nuances and hidden gems all over the film. I enjoyed it and recommend it to everyone who want to see something out of the ordinary.

I had the recording of this from my HD device lying without me watching it for many weeks. I had no idea what the movie was about or who starred in it. This is a fairly simple tale of a man who returns to his village in Uttarakhand and takes up a job as a school teacher. The movie is embellished with many actors who play bit roles but they all add to the milieu beautifully. The movie takes a funny turn when the teacher wins a red car in a jingle writing contest which his friend enters for him. And from there on there are many funny moments involving him and his red car. The movie has its dull moments when in between the pace slackens and not much happens. But all in all a refreshing watch with a very simple tale to tell. The authenticity of the atmosphere, the excellent cinematography and Deepak Dobriyal make it a pleasant watching experience.