Author: Rahul Bose
Konkona Sen/Bhisham Sahani
Director/Composer/Narrator: Aparna Sen / Zakir Hussain
Publisher: Shemaroo
Year: 2007
Language: multilingual
Pages: N/A
ISBN/UPC (if available): SHEDVD 188
Description
Mr. and Mrs. Iyer tells the story about a lonely housewife and a roving photographer who are thrown together by circumstance. Against the backdrop of a communal riots, the two protagonists negotiate their own presumptions about each other. Set against the backdrop of the idyllic mountainous locales of the Himalayas, the movie unfolds slowly and meananderlingly as the bus trip on which the movie's main characters meet.
There are several passengers on this bus trip, making it a microcosm of India's infinite variety " where there are 18 official languages and probably as many religions." But the story focuses on two protagonists, housewife Meenakshi Iyer and wildlife photographer Jehangir Chowdhury.
Although Iyer wears her Tam Brahm (an abbreviation for the orthodox for the orthodox Hindu Tamil Brahmin) caste on her sleeve, Raja's Muslim identity does not come into play until the bus passengers are threatened by religious fundamentalists.
A communal riot has broken out and the passengers are stranded in the middle of a curfew. However, when extremist Hindus, thirsty for Muslim blood, suddenly board the bus, Iyer introduces Raja as Mr. Iyer. Raja is spared the wrath of the extremists, which turns upon an elderly Muslim couple. Thereafter, with the riots in the background, Meenakshi and Raja explore the eventual bond that forms between the two.