Good Night
(2008, Hindi)
Director: Geetika Narang
Cast: Vinod Nagpal, Shivam Pradhan, Manish Narang, Abhijeet Banerjee
Synopsis:
Madan Mohan Khullar, a retired engineer and lover of old Hindi movies and music, decides to start his life afresh. The story begins at a night when he has just finished planning his new routine. But unable to sleep and restless, the day to day mundane details of Khullar’s life acquire a nostalgic significance. Any catharsis continues to elude the forced loner as he remains tormented by an unfinished song.
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 30 minutes
Color: Color
Country: India
Writer: Geetika Narang
Awards: Best Short Film Award, 4th India International Women Film Festival (IIWFF, 2008)
Silver Lamp Tree Award for Second Best Film - Intenational Film Festival of India (2008)
Best Cinematography Award - Fulmarxx Shorts Fest (2008)
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AKA & Alternative Spellings: Gud Night
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User Reviews
Verdict: An affectionate take on Hindi film music through a warm, emotional story
Debutant director Geetika Narang spins a sweet little tale about a night in the life of Madan Mohan Khullar, a retired loner who has resolved to bring some regulation in his disorderly life. Khullar is passionate about Hindi films and music, and mighty pleased with his new resolution he hums himself to sleep. That’s where the trouble begins. He gets stuck on the verse he’s humming and can’t remember how the song begins! His quest to find out the song leads to various amusing situations where he’s exasperated with not being able to remember the song as well as losing his sleep. The film cleverly points out at the degeneration of Hindi film music of recent times. Khullar also has to bear his young servant Ratan whose sharp tongue infuriates him no end. As the night progresses, Khullar reconciles to his predicament and with music as his faithful companion, takes a trip down memory lane. A touching moment that begins on a sentimental note ends with an awful awkwardness for him. The film ends with a humorous twist to Khullar’s dilemma as he ends up following his regular routine. Khullar is played with touching sincerity by Vinod Nagpal. Being the lead of almost a single-character film, it’s a thin line to tread. Nagpal brings alive the character with his poignant portrayal. One tends to feel his amusement, anguish, and embarrassment. Shivam Pradhan as Ratan induces a chuckle every time he appears. With his disdainful smirk at everything Khullar does, he delivers with considerable poise. Geetika Narang makes an impressive debut with the film. Her sense of detailing is incredible as she laces her story and characters with some fine nuances. It is a courageous attempt to make one’s first film revolve around a single character and a single night. But she’s in complete control of the film from the first frame to the last. She is aided marvelously by some imaginative cinematography by Yasir Abbasi and painstakingly meticulous art direction by Anandana Kapur. Music by Ashhar Farooqui is also a big plus point of the film. All in all, ‘Good Night’ makes it for some engrossing viewing with its simple narrative unfolding effortlessly.
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Debutant director Geetika Narang spins a sweet little tale about a night in the life of Madan Mohan Khullar, a retired loner who has resolved to bring some regulation in his disorderly life. Khullar is passionate about Hindi films and music, and mighty pleased with his new resolution he hums himself to sleep. That’s where the trouble begins. He gets stuck on the verse he’s humming and can’t remember how the song begins! His quest to find out the song leads to various amusing situations where he’s exasperated with not being able to remember the song as well as losing his sleep. The film cleverly points out at the degeneration of Hindi film music of recent times. Khullar also has to bear his young servant Ratan whose sharp tongue infuriates him no end. As the night progresses, Khullar reconciles to his predicament and with music as his faithful companion, takes a trip down memory lane. A touching moment that begins on a sentimental note ends with an awful awkwardness for him. The film ends with a humorous twist to Khullar’s dilemma as he ends up following his regular routine. Khullar is played with touching sincerity by Vinod Nagpal. Being the lead of almost a single-character film, it’s a thin line to tread. Nagpal brings alive the character with his poignant portrayal. One tends to feel his amusement, anguish, and embarrassment. Shivam Pradhan as Ratan induces a chuckle every time he appears. With his disdainful smirk at everything Khullar does, he delivers with considerable poise. Geetika Narang makes an impressive debut with the film. Her sense of detailing is incredible as she laces her story and characters with some fine nuances. It is a courageous attempt to make one’s first film revolve around a single character and a single night. But she’s in complete control of the film from the first frame to the last. She is aided marvelously by some imaginative cinematography by Yasir Abbasi and painstakingly meticulous art direction by Anandana Kapur. Music by Ashhar Farooqui is also a big plus point of the film. All in all, ‘Good Night’ makes it for some engrossing viewing with its simple narrative unfolding effortlessly.
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