Ship of Theseus

source: Ship of Theseus

Anand Gandhi's first feature-length film is an intriguing and thought-provoking piece of Independent cinema; it deals with life, purpose and philosophy. Gandhi's prior experience with short films helps him direct the three disparate story lines with certain finesse; the stories shed some light on Theseus's Paradox and give a transcendent look at consequences arising from individual actions. In Greek Legend, according to Plutarch, Theseus's ship was preserved, and the decayed parts were replaced piece by piece until no part of the original ship remained. Plutarch asks whether you would call it the same ship or not. The paradox might seem too confusing to discuss, but Anand Gandhi just uses this to connect the three plots through the theme of organ donation, questioning identity in the face of change. Rather than making a statement, Gandhi just raises interest and discusses various important philosophies and issues; having compelling arguments for and against the topics, it helps us being a part of the discussion. The characters are likable and interesting. All the actors have done a commendable job, and Neeraj Kabi's brilliant performance as the Jain monk stands out. As the three stories go, the first one (with the blind Egyptian photographer) deals with behaviour to change, the second one (with the animal-rights supporting Jain monk) might seem more philosophically and intellectually orgasmic, but it's the third one (with a stock broker seeking justice for a kidney scam victim) which oozes with brutal honesty. The use of humour to lighten the serious tone of the movie is delightful. The cinematography is spectacular. Rarely have I seen such breathtaking visuals in an Independent film; the shots have a certain poetic and aesthetic charm. The blend of far-off shots and sudden close-ups gives us an intimate look at the characters' lives. The movie is really good, but far from perfection. 2 hours 20 minutes is too long for the movie; with better editing, it could have maintained the pace and momentum well. And as most movies with multiple story lines suffer from this, the characters lack enough depth and screen-time for us to invest ourselves in them. The first story, though the idea of a blind photographer is a bit far-fetched, suffers from an abrupt ending. The second story has many interesting viewpoints and arguments, but part of them seem off-the-book and pretentious; it suffers from an illogical ending too. The third story, though quite honest and absorbing, is quite messy and detours from the main theme of the movie. From writing screenplay and dialogues for cheesy soap operas to an intellectual independent feature film, Anand Gandhi has come a long way; I guess his experience as a playwright and short-film director must have come in handy.

Yes, It was literally shi of Theseus. Yes, I said it. Now if you have not formed your opinion about me being a Salman or Shahrukh fan, and if you are still reading this, well mate, you've got a really open mind. Now lets get back to this horrible horrible movie. I can write about this movie's flaws longer than the script it had, but still I will try to contain myself in the following points. 1. Many characters seem to be reading their dialogs in a very irritating monotone. Like that photographer's boyfriend, Charvak guy and God save me from the acting of the protagonist of the third story and his translator friend. 2. BS concept. A blind photographer, seriously?!! I guess we are not far from a deaf musician and a retard genius, are we? That saint, whose conviction crumbles in one death scare, that imaginary sect that he followed, didn't seem to have much point in it. Seemed just like self styled god-man, playing activists. 3. And the BIGGEST FLAW....... ONE DIMENSIONAL CHARACTERS. Totally one dimensional characters, and I think that is the folly of men, we always think that people poorer than us are that one dimensional, don't we? That was quite lack of insight for a director who wanted to make an art movie. 4. Besides that, I could have stayed home, and spared myself from watching in detail a man soiling his bed and cleaning it, and a bed ridden women pissing in a pot. Guys forgive me, but life is complex, and the questions of existence and reasons are not easy. We can and should ponder on them everyday and form our own opinions. But I guess it is just easier to stay ignorant forever and just be amazed by these kind of substandard pretentious movies.

Well,after waiting for a long time I went for the first show and the film shocked me.The film marks a new era in Indian independent movie making.Gandhi used three inter inter related stories to find some eternal questions of mankind like life and death,salvation,purpose of life,creation,beauty etc.All these questions came up through a blind photographer,a rigid monk and a stock broker.Brilliant cinematography and music set the right flow for the movie to reach its conclusion.I can tell you that after you will come out of the theater,the movie will make u think and will ask you for the answers of the questions it raised.Till then we can wait for some more good works from the director...my rating 8/10

Get the propaganda . Another failed attempt by the left

Review #2. Ship of Theseus is a very different cinematic experience. It moves you, it makes you think about life in a different way. The characters, the narrative don't ever leave you. Anand Gandhi is definitely a talent to look out for. There are three different stories. Each with a different plot but same destination. The first one brings you in life of a girl who had lost her eyesight due to cornea and does photography. The second one is about a monk who should have an organ transplant. And the third one is about a stockbroker who just had a kidney transplant. The stories instantaneously connect with you. It's hard to decide which one of the three is the best. I would say the three altogether make one of the finest movies ever made in India. And it would not be wrong to say that it is the best Indian movie of the year. The performances are very real. Specially Neeraj Sir. The direction and cinematography are exceptional. At last, I would like to say that It is not a usual Indian movie. Go with your brains and you'll experience something you've never experienced before.

If one has got his/her basics in the right place, whatever is churned out (even if art) automatically scores good while transition from good to great is left to the creativity and imagination involved."Ship of Theseus" does exactly so and not only gets the basics right but also excels in each of them.With mind-blowing cinematography (How cud that be a DSLR?!!!!!), super-crisp editing,superb screenplay,superlative acting (Neeraj Kabi & Sohum Seth take a bow!!!!),music (that song in the monk story was simply amazing) and even comic reliefs there's not much room left for complaints. Now, coming to the gray area of creativity or whatever you call it, "Ship of Theseus" also scores (high enough) but may be not as seamless as its basics (off course IMO).The biggest positive that it has is not being either emotionally or intellectually manipulative.Its a treat to watch a film which is straight enough, with not much hidden in layers and yet so very subtle.Its left for the viewers to perceive once the film ends and continue the journey within.With so many chances that the director could have taken to succumb to push emotional epiphany he never compromises,not even in last reel.And once you know that the same man was involved behind "Kyunki Saas Bhi..." you understand what transformation/compromise(?) means as depicted in the film itself.To talk about drawbacks I found the film lacking in its background score.Not that the realtime sounds as in docu-feature style or absence of constant music is a problem.But more than often it doesn't do justice to the exemplary visuals or images that we see on screen.Those lash green grasses,the centipede movement,the array of photographs,the monk in white walking in rain or through huge sewage lines on both sides with black water flowing below-all of these scenes demanded some musical piece behind.The piece that would bind the film together.Also,of the three stories rather storeys only the first justifies the title while the other two are deeper and close.Yes,though it meets all regular and expected requirements, "Ship of Theseus" could have had a few more exciting requirements to its name.You can't complain,you can only wish and also wish more films like this gets a theatrical release and get the required backing (Thanks Kiran Rao).I am not sure whether this will be a life-changing film for all as selected by the Critics Circle,UK But as inspite of Neeraj Kabi,Aida El-Kashef,Vinay shukla,Sohum Seth and almost everyone else giving of Mr.Mehta (don't know the actor's name) that will stay with me for all as did the father in "A Separation", "Ship Of Theseus" also has every chance to stay with you for long.

After reading news reports that this movie will create a revolution of sorts in independent cinema and stuff like that, I went to see it last night. The premise of focussing on the lives of 3 people (who have/will be) obtaining a person's different organs through transplant - is very similar to Seven Pounds, and in fact Seven Pounds was way better in what it presented to the audience. This film is trying to question if the recipient of an organ transplant inherits any characteristics from the donor, but leaves it to the audience to frame their own spiritual, religious, emotional conclusions - which maybe new to people who grew up on Shah Rukh Khan films, but not to other broad-minded and rationally thinking individuals. Even though some of the dialogues in the 2nd story of the saint were pretty captivating, I never understood its relevance to the ship of theseus ? In fact most of the thoughts worded in this film can be found in any spirituality/karma related texts or books written by swami vivekananda or in fact the bhagavad gita itself. As I said earlier, people who have been spoon-fed with mindless action and romance films may find this film different, but honestly the matured audience can opt for some better films to see.

Trailer—Ship of Theseus

Ship of Theseus