Aparna Sen's first love story is set against the communal violence which sporadically erupts in today's India. Mrs Meenakshi Iyer (Konkona Sensharma) and her nine month old son Santanam are leaving a hill station resort for Kolkata. She is introduced to Raja Chowdhary (Rahul Bose), a photographer. They leave in a packed bus which winds down the hillsides. As dusk falls the bus is stopped and the journey quickly turns into a claustrophobic nightmare as an angry mob of Hindu villagers force their way on board looking for Moslems. Meenakshi finding out that Raja is actually a Moslem, saves him from death by announcing to the extremists that they are a Hindu couple. The two strangers, although from very different cultural backgrounds are together pitted against the heat of mindless violence; initial distrust gradually melts into inter-dependence and love.

Cary Rajinder Sawhney.

Regus London Film Festival Screening

Sun 17 Nov 16.00 - Odeon West End screen 1

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