‘Banaras’ review: Zaid Khan makes an interesting debut in film that blends time travel and romance

Express News Service

By now we know that director Jayathirtha is not a creator who settles for the usual. With his new film ‘Banaras’, he takes the viewers on a romantic journey set in alluring yet mysterious Varanasi, the pilgrimage land, the burning ghats, the death knells and the mourning of believers. He fits all these elements within the time travel genre and gets it all right, especially with the casting. He bet a lot on his lead Zaid Khan, and the 10-film-old actor, Sonal Monterio, and emerges with success.

‘Banaras’ revolves around the mysterious love story of Siddharth and Dhani (Zaid Khan and Sonal Monterio), whose romance brews magic in the town and paves way for time travelling. The film, which has limited characters, opens like every youthful love drama, with Siddharth, a flamboyant son of a wealthy businessman (Devaraj), who introduces himself as an astronaut and a time traveller to his college mate Dhani, a budding singer, just to win a bet with his friends.

But the prank ends up sabbotagging Dhani’s career and she leaves the college and the city. On learning about it, a repenting Siddharth goes out of his way to find Dhani, leading him to Varanasi. Will Siddarth’s prank about time travel turn out to be a reality? Or does he get the taste of his own medicine? Answers the film using time travel in a delightful non-linear manner.

You have to give it up to Jayathirtha and the cinematographer (Advaitha Gurumurthy) for capturing the spiritual locales of Varanasi and Kashi aesthetically. The plot completely justifies the title as film takes us on a journey through the 84 ghats, the Ganges, the temples and the lives of sadhus.

Possessing a surrealistic individuality and a passion towards divinity, the film gives a glimpse of the Kalabhairava temple, which represents the past, present, and future, and the mysterious Bharat Mata Mandir, giving an insight into Akanda Bharatha. Time travel is a relatively new genre for our directors, and Jayathirtha blends this idea with a moving love story. The first half an hour of ‘Banaras’ introduces us to the main characters with twists in regular intervals. Jayathirtha has smartly used the time travel concept in the second half making the narrative grippy.

ALSO READ | ‘I met over 150 directors across India for my launch’, says Banaras-star Zaid Khan

Of course, the film has its own flaws and it does test the patience of the audience occasionally. But Zaid Khan’s impressive performance makes up for it. He shows immense promise and his preparation for the role reflects his excellent performance. He also impresses in the dance and fight sequences. He comes across as solid hero material and he is here to stay.  Sonal Monteiro is the soul of Banaras, as the story is centered around her. Without being just a functional heroine, she understands her character and elevates it with her performance. Sujay Shastry, who plays a meaningful role as a death photographer, helps propel the story forward. The film also has Achyuth Kumar as the chemistry professor, Narayan Shastry, and Swapna Raj playing his wife.

Technically, Ajaneesh Loknath has weaved several soothing tracks like Maya Gange, Belakina Kavithe, and Hennu Hadeyalu Beda.  A love story blended with time travel is a new path in Kannada, but Banaras stays honest in its attempt.

Banaras 
Director: Jayathirtha
Cast: Zaid Khan and Sonal Monteiro
Rating: 3/5

<br /> By now we know that director Jayathirtha is not a creator who settles for the usual. With his new film ‘Banaras’, he takes the viewers on a romantic journey set in alluring yet mysterious Varanasi, the pilgrimage land, the burning ghats, the death knells and the mourning of believers. He fits all these elements within the time travel genre and gets it all right, especially with the casting. He bet a lot on his lead Zaid Khan, and the 10-film-old actor, Sonal Monterio, and emerges with success.</p> <p>‘Banaras’ revolves around the mysterious love story of Siddharth and Dhani (Zaid Khan and Sonal Monterio), whose romance brews magic in the town and paves way for time travelling. The film, which has limited characters, opens like every youthful love drama, with Siddharth, a flamboyant son of a wealthy businessman (Devaraj), who introduces himself as an astronaut and a time traveller to his college mate Dhani, a budding singer, just to win a bet with his friends.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.82 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.82 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>But the prank ends up sabbotagging Dhani’s career and she leaves the college and the city. On learning about it, a repenting Siddharth goes out of his way to find Dhani, leading him to Varanasi. Will Siddarth’s prank about time travel turn out to be a reality? Or does he get the taste of his own medicine? Answers the film using time travel in a delightful non-linear manner.</p> <p>You have to give it up to Jayathirtha and the cinematographer (Advaitha Gurumurthy) for capturing the spiritual locales of Varanasi and Kashi aesthetically. The plot completely justifies the title as film takes us on a journey through the 84 ghats, the Ganges, the temples and the lives of sadhus.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.82 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.82 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Possessing a surrealistic individuality and a passion towards divinity, the film gives a glimpse of the Kalabhairava temple, which represents the past, present, and future, and the mysterious Bharat Mata Mandir, giving an insight into Akanda Bharatha. Time travel is a relatively new genre for our directors, and Jayathirtha blends this idea with a moving love story. The first half an hour of ‘Banaras’ introduces us to the main characters with twists in regular intervals. Jayathirtha has smartly used the time travel concept in the second half making the narrative grippy.</p> <p>ALSO READ | ‘I met over 150 directors across India for my launch’, says Banaras-star Zaid Khan</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.82 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.82 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Of course, the film has its own flaws and it does test the patience of the audience occasionally. But Zaid Khan’s impressive performance makes up for it. He shows immense promise and his preparation for the role reflects his excellent performance. He also impresses in the dance and fight sequences. He comes across as solid hero material and he is here to stay.  Sonal Monteiro is the soul of Banaras, as the story is centered around her. Without being just a functional heroine, she understands her character and elevates it with her performance. Sujay Shastry, who plays a meaningful role as a death photographer, helps propel the story forward. The film also has Achyuth Kumar as the chemistry professor, Narayan Shastry, and Swapna Raj playing his wife.</p> <p>Technically, Ajaneesh Loknath has weaved several soothing tracks like Maya Gange, Belakina Kavithe, and Hennu Hadeyalu Beda.  A love story blended with time travel is a new path in Kannada, but Banaras stays honest in its attempt.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.82 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.82 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Banaras <br /> Director: Jayathirtha<br /> Cast: Zaid Khan and Sonal Monteiro<br /> Rating: 3/5<br />