From July 2012.
“Trishna” (+)
While this film is no “Slumdog Millionaire,” which I believe was one of the first major crossover films of India that was a huge hit in the U.S., it is good and worth seeing. (If you haven’t seen “Slumdog Millionaire,” be sure to rent it.)
A young woman, Trishna (Freida Pinto), works at a resort in her hometown. Her family, which appears to be lower-middle-class, becomes impoverished when her father is seriously injured in an auto accident. She meets a young man, Jay (Riz Ahmed), who secures a waitress job for her in one of the city hotels owned by his wealthy father (Roshan Seth).
Trishna, who is romantically pursued by Jay, becomes pregnant and returns to her family. Jay follows, asks her to live with him, and soon abandons her. He returns once again and takes her to a hotel where she gets a job as a waitress and also serves Jay every day with food and sex. He actually studies the Kama Sutra to provide variety in their physical relationship. Trishna knows she is being used by Jay and that he enjoys degrading her. The audience senses that she will find a way to repay him and she does.
“Trishna” was directed by the highly-regarded British filmmaker Michael Winterbottom. Among the many films he directed are “Welcome to Sarajevo” and “The Road to Guantanamo.”
As in most Bollywood productions, “Trishna” contains song and dance numbers that have little or nothing to do with the storyline but are, nevertheless, enjoyable. The movie is a wonderful virtual travelogue displaying India’s vastness in population, traffic, diversity, and the lifestyles of the very rich and the very poor. It provides a good introduction to India, and I enjoyed the experience.
The movie is playing at the IFC Center on Sixth Avenue at West Third Street. The theater has the most comfortable seats in town.
