Reva - A river runs through it

Reva

Gujarat, 2018

Directors - Rahul Bhole and Vinit Kanojia

Stars - Chetan Dhanani, Monal Gajjar, Yatin Katyekar, Firoz Bhagat, Prashant Barot 

Mohan's Measure  ✳ ✳ ✳

Suffice it to say, any young man would not mind spending forever in the middle of nowhere with the likes of Ms. Gajjar, but that is not what this movie is wanting to say.

Instead this is a movie about spiritual discovery, one found by a young man who journeys to India to try and retrieve the fortune his grandfather should have left him.

He winds up in an ancient Ashram dedicated to parikrama, a four-month long pilgrimage following the Narmada River to its nexus with the Arabian Sea.

It is in and around the pilgrims and the villagers who care for them that a young man, drawn by the charm of a young woman, finds a destiny far more valuable than he could ever know.

It is in Mr. Dhanani's portrayal of this cynical American that existential questions are raised for someone to answer them. The problem is, despite the red hair dye, the actor is not very convincing as an Indian American. His accent is too heavy and his demeanor too local.

Misfit too is Ms. Gajjar, her demeanor too urbane to be someone raised in an Ashram. The same is true of Mr. Katyekar. His Shashtriji is far too well mannered and manicured to be one has lived in villages all his life.

But, I can only wonder if the force-fit urbanite air is intentional, lending an added sense of whimsy to an already whimsical tale.

But, because film has so much to share, I pray destiny will add it to your watch list.