Dominique LaPierre wrote some very famous books. One of them was ‘City of Joy.’ It is the story of an American Doctor who runs away from his failed life in America to ‘find’ himself in the slums of Calcutta. What follows is exactly what you would imagine. He hates the place and people initially and finally learns to love them.
Patrick Swayze as the lost doctor Max Lowe is both amiable and irritable. Om Puri as the haggard slum dweller desperately seeking some way to support his family is believable and good as always. Their interactions are generally good as well. The film is otherwise an unfolding of events that are generally meant to shock and distress almost on purpose. It wants to badly put your life in perspective of the film and succeeds for about a few minutes in that. Generally, you don’t feel as attached to the film as you would want to if you consider the plot.
What brings it all down is a plot so completely ‘bollywoodized’ that you are not sure what is that you are exactly watching. Everything is lost on your as it is so many times in the film but the film’s characters manage to find meaning and grace. Alas you have to be satisfied by the though that at least you didn’t have to read the fat book.
Patrick Swayze as the lost doctor Max Lowe is both amiable and irritable. Om Puri as the haggard slum dweller desperately seeking some way to support his family is believable and good as always. Their interactions are generally good as well. The film is otherwise an unfolding of events that are generally meant to shock and distress almost on purpose. It wants to badly put your life in perspective of the film and succeeds for about a few minutes in that. Generally, you don’t feel as attached to the film as you would want to if you consider the plot.
What brings it all down is a plot so completely ‘bollywoodized’ that you are not sure what is that you are exactly watching. Everything is lost on your as it is so many times in the film but the film’s characters manage to find meaning and grace. Alas you have to be satisfied by the though that at least you didn’t have to read the fat book.