You won't be disappointed!

Pretty Good

From my favorite movies..

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

I wasn't aware until very recently that the great Indian filmmaker Mani Kaul made an erotic film titled 'The Cloud Door' back in 1994 with the ravishing Anu Agarwal (remember Aashiqui?) in the central role of a mysterious courtesan. Within a short run time of 20 odd minutes, Mani Kaul gives a demonstration of his cinematic mastery. Had Kaul been born in Europe he would have been hailed as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Nonetheless, Kaul is to Indian cinema what Andrei Tarkovsky is to the Russian cinema. One cannot really think of another Indian filmmaker who succeeded in constantly reinventing the form. Some may mention Kumar Shahani but his body of work clearly pales in comparison to Kaul's formidable oeuvre which includes masterworks like Duvidha, Uski Roti, and Siddheshwari. Coming back to 'The Cloud Door,' I encourage you all to watch it (you can find it on YouTube) but please don't hold it against me if you can't see much beyond its breathtaking images, a voluptuous woman and her naughty parrot that keeps repeating erotic verses, and a laughing fish. And because it's Mani Kaul at work, it is quite possible that the fish may be laughing at our ignorance that compels us to find purpose in a great artist's creative imagination.P.S. It's a real pity that when Anurag Kashyap asked Mani Kaul about his films the master told him that he himself would love to watch them again if somehow Kashyap could help locate them for him.For more on world cinema please visit my film site "A Potpourri of Vestiges".

Beautiful emptiness maybe, but emptiness nonetheless. Sure, the actors in here are all very attractive, the costumes and sets are opulent, but the story has simply too few memorable moments to make this film a memorable watch. It is an Indian film that runs for half an hour with a bit of a German impact in terms of the producers. The "Regina Ziegler presents" part was possibly the most embarrassing moment and the film hadn't already started there. It's probably only a good watch for huge fans of Irrfan Khan, who is still very young in here. Or maybe not as I like him and wasn't really impressed either. Yes there are boobs in here, but you can watch porn for that. Anyway, it's not really the actors' fault they were given such an underwhelming script here by the late writer and director Mani Kaul. Prime example of style over substance that would definitely have needed more meat to make for a compelling watch. Not a complete failure, but also not good enough to let me recommend it. Thumbs down.

The Cloud Door offers a glimpse into the classical erotic literature of India where desires seem to burn you and the resulting smoke consumes everything. The ever present parrot offers expert advice on sensuality, travels through the air, looms like a cloud and brings in with him lovers of his own manifestation, desires and passions. The freedom might seem like an intrusion or an expression of joy or a mere act to instill Eros in the minds of the religious. The clouds where the bird travels in not his end but a door to the invisible and even what we see, the symbolism, is misleading from the wretched Brahmin to the laughing fish. Mani Kaul has always fascinated me with his visuals; the geometry of his frames, symmetry in shots, the color palette, the way he depicts spaces as something not confined in the structures which exist around it and the lyrical feel in which words flow beside the images and you are left gasping while you try to absorb all details presented.

The only reason I watched this movie was because Mani Kaul was associated with it. Acclaimed in the critics circles, I wanted to have a taste of his body of work. "The Cloud Door" is a technically sound product. High on stunning visuals, sound department and beautiful locales but sadly the premise is empty. Due credit is given to Bhasa & Jayasi on which "The Cloud Door" is based upon but it crystal evident that Mani Kaul has failed to translate it on the screen. Anu Agarwal:: She was riding high on the success of mega-block buster Aashiqui, wonder what made her sign the dotted line for this movie. Should you dare to watch it, there is nothing much to lose - the running time is 29-minutes.