A Pan Nalin weekend | Valley of Flowers (2006)

You may want to read PART I of this article before proceeding - It is not mandatory though. There are no detailed references to my previous article. This is a good standalone read too.

Samsara which came out fiver years before 'Valley of Flowers' set the bar a bit too high. Even though it was almost impossible, I have tried my best to review this movie without any reference to Samsara..

Set in the beautiful Himalayas, Valley of Flowers, is a movie on love and reincarnation. The theme tries to capture some ancient rare practices performed by by Yogis. These are the same mysterious lot of people who seem to know the secret of immortality.

Jalan (Played by Milind Soman), like his gang members, is an outlaw who lives a life of pride in the Himalayas. His gang loots caravans passing through the valley. On one such loot, he meets his love, Ushna (Played by Mylene Jampanoi) who was actually looking for him. The plot doesn't reveal how she comes to know of him..

The mysterious Ushna changes the dynamics within the gang and that results in some dramatic shifts to the plot.. 

The beauty of the Himalayas, again, does not fail to entice you - it has been wonderfully caught on frame. Jalan's loots of the caravans passing through the valley has been captured realistically. Although some moments seem a little bollywoodish but the overall scheme of operation of his gang has been portrayed very well. One of the moments that sticks on to you even after the movie is Jalan walking across generations (literally). It is crafted with an artistic touch. 

There are a couple of areas which i felt could have been better:

Firstly, the capture of Sadhus in the valley could have been a lot better. They were shown more like magicians churning out lotions of immortality. The whole theme rests on immortality and there should have been a stronger presence of that part. This portrayal dilutes the plot to some extent by losing credibility with the whole concept of immortality.

And, the sequence of events in Japan, again, were a little lacklustre. For example, the suicide case of a CEO could have easily been captured better. 

Overall, it is a good watch though i would not rate it as high as Samsara...

Actors: Milind Soman, Naseeruddin Shah, Mylene Jampanoi, Eri