When Amma (Supriya Pathak) recounts the events of the fateful night when her husband dropped dead on the piano it’s heartbreaking. But when the same story is repeated verbatim for the benefit of those who come in to pay their last respects and can’t help but use the crutch of “ye kaise ho gaya?” to initiate a conversation it is difficult to stifle a laugh. The tragi-comedy is heightened in the scene where the men of the family discuss their arrival time to the scene. The point being that the quicker they made it the more mournful they would seem!
The lived-in house and milieu adds to the appeal. The tranquil frames of the bereaved wife reminiscing about her husband, juxtaposed with the hustle that everyone seems to be in to get done with the tehrvi and get on with life is the central focus. The customs and rituals keep everyone busy. Thirteen days are set aside for mourning and unresolved matters and resentments threaten to tumble…