Mihir Mahidhar directed film Zero is set in rural India. The movie opens with an air shot of the outskirts of a city. Later, the camera focuses on a small roadside stand. Owned by a young boy, the stall sells tea and some snacks to go with it. The film presents an entirely unique idea of how a little thing can make a significant difference in one’s life.
The Story of Zero
The film revolves around a day in the life of a young boy who sells tea to earn his living. In the first ten minutes, the film makers take their time to engrave an impression of the miseries in the boy’s life in the minds of the viewers. The director deeply depicts the suffering in his life. The boy is shown starting his day at the tea stall and then sitting and waiting and waiting and waiting endlessly for someone to stop by. But alas! Cars and bikes and trucks and rickshaws hustle by but no one halts to buy a cup of tea. The disappointment and distress is evident on the boy’s face.
The twist comes when two drunkards remove the ‘0’ from the milestone to make Nanakheda 1 km away instead of the actual 10 km. And then things change for the young boy. People stop to ask him about Nanakheda and buy tea from him. He makes enough to get him food for that day. He strolls down the road later just to find the change in the milestone and realizes how God makes things work. He considers the milestone to be an incarnation of the supreme energy and lights an incense stick in front of it.
Synopsis
The movie revolves around the boy’s day and his struggle to earn a few pennies that are enough to buy him food for the day. It shows how this world treats the poor. The scene of someone throwing a burger out of their car window and the boy grabbing it is heart-wrenching. The burger landed on a heap of garbage with insects around it, but the boy with an empty stomach since morning cleans and eats it to keep himself going. The film also establishes a strong belief in the fact that poverty is a legacy. The poor boy does nothing but blames his father for his condition. He is seen throwing dust on his picture with rage in his eyes. Irfan Khan not just plays but feels the character of the boy in its true sense. He is so distressed from the series of events that he even makes an imaginary invisible cup of tea to satisfy himself.
The End
The cinematography is just perfect. From capturing the mountains from air to capturing the ants climbing a tall tree, the camera does all the magic. Everyone from the actors to the people behind the scene make the fifteen minutes worth it. The dialogues, the story line, the presentation, every aspect of the movie can leave you awestruck.
Add Zero to your playlist and watch it for a session full of meaning!
