Amal

Running time: 101 mins

Graceful and incisive, Amal cuts a unique path between sentiment and suspense.

The titular character, a rickshaw driver in Delhi, India, goes through life with hardworking, stubborn decency. His penniless openness seems to be the polar opposite of the G.K. Jayaram, a rich old singer with reservoirs of crankiness. When their paths cross, however, the old man, who has embarked on one final trip before dying, is moved by Amal?s selflessness and decides to make him his heir. When the will is read, Jayaram?s family becomes outraged by his decision; none more so than Vivek, a gambler who was counting on the money to get rid of his troubles. While the relatives scramble for the money, Amal himself remains oblivious to the situation, more concerned with helping a little girl in the hospital and shyly courting a pretty customer. Directed by Richie Mehta with a beautiful eye for color and a generous appreciation for the ironies of life, Amal has the deceptively simple richness of a timeless fable.

Fernando F. Croce