Cobalt Blue (2022/ Drama/ Netflix)
Writer/Director- Sachin Kundalkar
Based on a book – Cobalt Blue
Cast – Prateik Babbar, Neelay Mehendale, Anjali Sivaraman, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Neil Bhoopalam, Shishir Sharma, Anant V Joshi, Poornima Indrajith
Plot
Tanay (Neelay) is a young poetic college boy who aspires to be a writer and talks to his friend Pablo (a tortoise).
He has a staunch traditional family, a domineering father, a tom-boyish norm-defying hockey player sister.
Their serene life is about to change forever when a young good looking mysterious painter and designer (Prateik) comes to stay with them as a paying guest.
Analysis
The film to me seemed like a beautiful symphony or a piece of art.
With the picturesque setting of Kerala, the traditional house hold and setting, the small town locations and life, the rich colourful canvases, the deeply meaningful frames, each with loads to convey and so much to infer from, the captivating atmospherics, languid pace with so much to convey, a sensitive and delicate portrayal of emotions and ultimately as the film progresses, so much turmoil amidst the serenity and quiet.
The sensitivity with which they have portrayed the same sex relationships and the complex jumble of emotions is worth appreciating.
The admiring glances, hero worship like infatuation, lust, need, jealousy, hurt, loneliness, the complex tussle of emotions and the unsaid things are the highlight of the film.
Cinematography by Vincenzo Condorelli deserves applaud for the all the beauty we get to relish through out.
All the performances boasted of realism and minimalism.
Neelay with his innocence and charming good looks wins heart.
Prateik’s intense, restrained and mature performance reminded me of Raj Babbar.
Neil Bhoopalam seemed the surprise package to me. He is super good as the professor. His efforts to woo, the loneliness and desperation was heart wrenching.
Geetanjali Kulkarni as always, is natural, fluid and great in whatever she attempts.
Anjali as Anuja is good too.
The film is a work of art, visually and content wise.
It’s offers a lot to admire, absorb and understand.
Not meant for all but a gem for those who love niche cinema.