Morning Raga stars Shabana Azmi as an accomplished Carnatic singer who does not sing anymore because she is still stricken by an old bus accident she got involved in on her way to a concert with her violinist and son, both of whom died. Since then she has never left her village and never sung a song. Now, the son of her violinist comes and asks her to sing a few songs with his musical group. That's when the story begins to take shape. I quite liked the story of the film. It was fresh and innovative and the film was made artistically and intelligently. The locations are beautiful, especially the village views shots, and are aided by effective cinematography.
The film entirely belongs to Shabana Azmi, in a fantastic role that gives her scope to display both her dramatic talent and particularly her ability to play a very difficult character. Carnatic music is a serious thing, and Azmi had undergone a great deal of training for this part in order to understand how they sing, and to learn their body language and mannerisms when they sing. She did not sing the songs herself (well she's not a robot you know), but believe it or not, lip-syncing is very difficult in such songs because they are sung in twisted tones at lightening speed. Azmi played the character exceptionally well and was convincing both as a Carnatic singer and as a traumatised woman who is terrified to even think about going out of the village and stepping on the damned bridge on which the accident happened.
I watched the film for Shabana Azmi, and she is the main reason I liked it. The rest of the cast is decent, and the entire concept of modern members of a rock band who want to make something special and collaborate with a Carnatic singer was interesting. The film is about music, the beauty of music, and the music of the film, from the songs to the background score, is outstanding. The first song Shabana sings with them is the best moment of the film. I liked the film for showing how contemporary youngsters appreciate old and traditional music. It is a pleasant and realistic film which beautifully portrays the lifestyle of rural and urban India, and then brings them together by creating an interaction between their people.
The film entirely belongs to Shabana Azmi, in a fantastic role that gives her scope to display both her dramatic talent and particularly her ability to play a very difficult character. Carnatic music is a serious thing, and Azmi had undergone a great deal of training for this part in order to understand how they sing, and to learn their body language and mannerisms when they sing. She did not sing the songs herself (well she's not a robot you know), but believe it or not, lip-syncing is very difficult in such songs because they are sung in twisted tones at lightening speed. Azmi played the character exceptionally well and was convincing both as a Carnatic singer and as a traumatised woman who is terrified to even think about going out of the village and stepping on the damned bridge on which the accident happened.
I watched the film for Shabana Azmi, and she is the main reason I liked it. The rest of the cast is decent, and the entire concept of modern members of a rock band who want to make something special and collaborate with a Carnatic singer was interesting. The film is about music, the beauty of music, and the music of the film, from the songs to the background score, is outstanding. The first song Shabana sings with them is the best moment of the film. I liked the film for showing how contemporary youngsters appreciate old and traditional music. It is a pleasant and realistic film which beautifully portrays the lifestyle of rural and urban India, and then brings them together by creating an interaction between their people.
