The central theme of the story is
to make one believe in himself/herself. To take that leap of faith into the
unknown. A new house is that metaphor. How a young, newly wed couple along with
their family takes that leap of faith.
Straddling through fear and an
ambitious dream, the young couple take that leap of faith only to be pulled
back by an insolvency of a local pathpedhi (a Non-banking financial
corporation- like a credit society) in the process losing all their savings. The
director wishes to draw attention towards these sorts of institutions. Though
they are under the RBI rules, lack of desirable financial reporting make them
vulnerable to non-transparency and frauds. A case in point being the CKP
Co-operative bank in Mumbai & Thane or the Pen Co-operative bank in Khopoli
(Maharashtra).
When the head of the house, their
father comes to know about the intent of the couple to buy a house, he feels
intimidated by the magnanimous thought leading him to not believe in the leap
of faith of his children. Relationships these days are based on material
possession and the director makes his point when the character Amit says that
he was rejected by 7 prospective girls after seeing his dilapidated house
whereas Manjiri, who is his wife now, saw the person in him.
Manjiri’s character is
well-etched out. Rooted in traditional upbringing, she adjusts to the city life
like a fish takes to water. Turning a snide remark by a neighbour (I don’t want
insurance policy) into an opportunity to make her sales pitch (as an insurance
agent), she shows perfect presence of mind. When they see their dream coming
apart, she takes the lead to pacify her husband and in-laws and gives them
confidence to try again. And that he should hold his head high for the efforts.
She sums it well when she says that if we have been forced to take two steps
back, it will help more in our efforts to catapult (like a high-jumper) into
our dream.
The director wishes to show the
life of an honest police-hawaldar (lowest in the police hierarchy) to manage in
Rs. 12000 (USD 200) monthly salary. When asked whether he indeed does not take
bribe, he feels pain to say that he has to justify that he is honest. This rubs
off on Amit who rejects a proposal to buy a shanty (hut) in an area which is proposed
for re-development by a builder. These two are much nuanced moments showing the
society a mirror.
Amit’s mother is a balanced lady
who understands her duties as a mother, wife and a mother-in-law. She gives the
young couple privacy, stands by her husband and shows confidence in his son’s
and daughter-in-law’s ability. Amit’s father acknowledges towards the end of
the movie that he did not change his perspective with time. A lesson to all of
us to find that balance between needs and wants.
Lastly, in this day and age of nuclear families, having your father and mother together can be so much helpful to take a leap of faith. Double-seat shows this well.
Hey keep posting such good and meaningful articles.
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