Creative Quotient:
Debutant director Shivajee Chandrabhushan stretches the limits of his imagination as well as resources as he bases his narrative in Ladakh, at an average height of 12,000 feet above sea-level with the mercury hovering between -5 and -25 degrees! He also chooses to decolorise the film and make it a rare B&W fare. The story opens in the bitter cold of Ladakh sweetened by the carefree abandon of teenaged Lasya (Gauri) and her younger brother Chomo (Angchuk), as they fight, bicker and play pranks together. Their father, widower Karma (Danny) is burdened with looking after the family as well as making the ends meet through the traditional business of apricot jam making. But as his debts pile up, money- lender Sharma (Yashpal) is too keen to take over Karma’s ancestral home, while the Indian Army has based its camp in the vicinity and adding to his woes is Dawa (Zutshi), the local landlord who has his eyes trained on nubile Lasya! How Karma and Lasya find a way out of the wheel of life is what the film is about.

Writer Shanker Raman interprets the tenets of Buddhist philosophy in a lucid manner: “The biggest enemy is within” and such pearls of wisdom are rather illuminating.

Technical Expertise:
What stops the film from being an engaging entertainer is its sluggish pace. A racier narrative could have turned the film into a true winner. The Army convoy snaking up the torturous turns of the Ladakhi landscape are repeated so often that it may result in a quick snooze. Since the film is part Ladakhi and part Hindi, it becomes cumbersome to keep track of the sub-titles against the white snowy backdrop.

However, actors Danny, debutante Gauri and the rest of the cast including Yashpal Sharma and Raj Zutshi are well in character. Shanker Raman’s cinematography pulsates with creativity. The black and white version of the film enhances the appeal of the snow-laden location. John Varkey’s music complements the film well. But Shan Mohammed’s editing leaves plenty of footage to be edited out. Director Chandrabhushan makes a promising debut and it will be interesting to know what his next theme is.