'Morning Walk' is a social drama that brings together to the silver screen Anupam Kher and Sharmila Tagore. While Kher is still very active, Sharmila isn't dormant either. In fact, she oversees her entire community's work vis-à-vis society. If she finds anything wrong ethically in the movies, she asks the producer/ director to suitably amend it before exhibition in public. It's another matter that Kher has also held this charge in the past. This is among the three movies released this Friday (July 10). If not the best among today's releases, this is not the third in rank. Besides, Kher is also starring in another movie titled 'Sankat City'. This is sufficient to prove that Kher is more active in acting than Sharmila. Incidentally, children of the two actors are following in the footsteps of their parents.
In the movie, Anupam Kher plays Joymohan, a professor who is happily living in Kolkata, but is more excited to move to Mumbai to stay with his son Indra. The son has now changed as he has additional responsibilities and a family to look after. Life takes a sudden turn one day when he is out for his morning walk! Thus, the movie justifies its title at the start. Sharmila Tagore as Neelima stays in Mumbai with her daughter. After suffering an abusive and cold marriage she has become a yoga instructor. Now, she is preparing herself to send her daughter to USA for further studies.
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Rajit Kapoor as Indra is most loving and caring son but is caught up between the frictional relationship shared by his wife Rita with his father Joymohan. Divya Dutta plays Rita. She personifies today's working woman who has many an ambition in life but circumstances have led her to be an altogether different person. Her relationship with her father-in-law is chaotic. She wants her father-in-law to sell his Kolkata house to fund their new house. Shayan Munshi as Ajay loves Sharmila's daughter Nargis played as Anjali who has a penchant for books and also supports Ajay. However, the truth changes her life completely.
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Avika Gor as Gargi is Joy Mohan's granddaughter who is immensely overjoyed with her grandfather joining the family. One morning walk in Joymohan's life changes it all. After suffering a heart attack on his birthday, he realizes the need to spend more time with his family meaning son Rajit , daughter-in-law Divya Dutta and granddaughter Avika , and thus mend his broken bonds. It is during his 'Morning Walk' that his life changes forever. Again, the significance of the title is evident. During his morning walk, Kher meets Sharmila, his once-upon-a-time-student and friend and now a mother of two, who carries with her a strange but an odd truth. This is a heart-tugging tale of two families who are so different from one another yet connected through a special bond. Less said better as Kher and Sharmila leave no stone unturned in their performances. Among others, Rajit Kapoor, Divya Dutta, Shayan Munshi, Nargis Dutt and Avika Gor play their parts very well. Divya looks charming.
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The movie isn't without flaws. Though the movie derives its origin from Bengali cinema, it is set in Mumbai, where the life isn't as live as in Kolkata. Mumbai is a new city unlike the old city of Kolkata. Two, Kher looks unreal with the wig. What a coincidence that Kher meets Sharmila with their daughter, though illegitimate, at a park. Two girls are just opposite to each other. While Kher's daughter-in-law is ready to buy a house for herself even after selling her father-in-law's family home, his own daughter profusely loves her dad. However, the granddaughter excels everyone in loving Kher. In spite of all these, producer Arup Dutta and director Tapan Biswas deserve our thanks.
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In the music department, Jeet Ganguly, who was earlier associated with music director Pritam Chakraborty, is the debutant composer. "Aasma choona hai", sung by Shaan, "Bhor bhayo" sung by Ustad Rashid Khan along with Shreya Ghosal and Joi Barua, and "Dolna", rendered by Shreya Ghosal are the musical highlights . So also are "Meethi meethi baatein" sung by Shaan and Shreya and "Nachle' sung by Shaan, Joi Barua and Nargis.
