All We Imagine as Light demands attention to the minutest of details that are conveyed as much by the brilliant actors as through the various elements of urban life, the sounds and gestures unhurriedly captured by the camera writes Rajeshwari Kalyanam
All We Imagine As Light – the glitzy lights of a city that look quite dazzling from far, the lone light shining bright in the night on a quiet road that offers illumination to the passersby – tube light in the room that we come back to at night, the light escaping out of tiny windows of numerous apartments – all this we ‘imagine’ as light!
There is so much that happens around us and in our lives that may pull us down but the slightest of light exists even at the end of the darkest tunnel that rekindles hope and keeps it alive.
Brilliant Cast – a Major Plus for All We Imagine as Light
Supporting her in bringing to the screens are Kani Kasruti who plays the role of a Malayali nurse Prabha, whose husband almost abandons her until she receives an electric cooker in courier and she is confused and unable to move on. Divya Prabha is playing the role of her room-mate, an aspirational younger nurse Anu in love with a Muslim boy. She is unable to get a place in the city to be intimate with her boyfriend, and is troubled by her long-distance parents wanting to get her married, Chhaya Kadam on the other hand plays Parvathy – a hospital help – who is friendly with Prabha and Anu and is fighting her demons in the way of a real estate dispute where she may be forced out of her own apartment.
The Director’s Vision
Payal Kapadia’s ‘All We Imagine as Light’ is a culmination of her documentary making prowess and storytelling skills as she draws her protagonists from regular urban-life situations and uses Mumbai city as the canvas and catalyst of her story. The dazzling performances of the lead characters, the effective use of camera to convey emotions and carry forward the story, the technique of camera work that plays with lights – every detail of the film All We Imagine as Light is phenomenal.
Helping her in telling the story are the Mumbaikars walking on the road, travelling by train or busy at their place of work – that are busily doing their routine at the crack of dawn when darkness give way to light vis and go on until night when the lights are up and they head home like the birds flying back to their nests – to their fears, hopes, their happiness and sadness. While some go home to their families, there are several in a city like Mumbai who are out there in this city of dreams retiring to their loneliness – sometimes literally alone and at other times feeling lonely despite being in a crowd. And then its night that beckons one into its folds of sleep before another day begins.
The film begins with a drive though the not so glitzy side of Mumbai, and the visuals of many who are in the city of dreams which they begin to love and are just short of calling it their home – but fear to do so. You never know when it ceases to be your home says one of the voices.
Scenes like this in the film have documentary quality about them adding layers to this feature film that works on several levels.
Women – the Many Emotions & Conflicts
The film explores women and the boundaries they set for themselves owing to conditioning, family values and even religion. It throws light on the state of women who are left unaware of any important detail in their married life. The husband holds the reins as they say and when he leaves the woman is left to fend for herself – in this case (All We Imagine As Light) she is struggling to prove ownership of her house.
One of the downsides of a patriarchal society is how it expects the woman to bear the weight of upholding family values, societal standards and take forward religious and cultural traditions. Many times, women are prisoners of their own making and will remain so until they themselves decide to come out the shackles. When women succeed in doing this – they become great source of support and inspiration for other women.
All We Imagine As Light is the story of three such women in a city where you can easily get misled and carried away by the glitz and the glamour, who eventually see the light that matters.
All We Imagine as Light Review
The first Indian film to receive the prestigious Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024 directed by Payal Kapadia demands attention to the minutest of details that are conveyed as much by the brilliant actors as through the various elements of urban life, the sounds and gestures unhurriedly captured by the camera. Ranabir Das’s camera tries to catch up with the pace of Mumbai slowing down to take in the stillness of the night and eventually to soak in the calmness of nature. The film lacks pace but makes up with its performances. The subtitles in English need work and are not up to the mark.
