Tashi review: Heartwarming film about family and relationships

Tashi, or 'good energy' in Tibetan, is a film that stays true to its title and warms your heart. The characters are flawed and each has his/her own internal conflict, but what shines through is the genuine goodness and love which keep the family together.

Directed by Singapore-based Shilpa Krishnan Shukla, Tashi is a film with a runtime of an hour and a half with a story spanning a period of a few days and revolving around the interpersonal relationships among a mother, son, daughter, guest and household help.

Shukla's narrative talks about accepting, respecting and resolving personal differences to keep the family together.

Vandana Mehta (Ila Maheshwari), who has recently undergone surgery for a tumour, lives with her daughter Radhika (Tania Mukherjee) in Singapore. She is a spirited old lady who yearns to celebrate Diwali with her son and daughter though the festival is still 10 months away.

Ila Maheshwari is a natural. Her rawness lends a certain realness to her character.

Radhika is a 40-year-old single woman who has had to make a lot of sacrifices to take care of her mother. Though she has no regrets, she does feel the burden at times.

Mukherjee has great screen presence and embodies the character of a straightforward, inquisitive and caring person. Her monologue after getting drunk, about her disappointment with her brother, is a crucial point in the film. Only an able actress could have handled it.

Vandana Mehta's son Sanjay (Charan Singh) returns home to see his ailing mother. Married and settled in London, Sanjay has been so engrossed with problems at his job and in his marriage that he hasn't been involved in taking care of his mother.

As the family reunites, a visitor who has booked an Airbnb room at the family's apartment, Ved (Sai Pogaru), also begins to spend time with them. The family helps him to heal as he goes through a heartbreak.

While Charan Singh does justice to his part, Sai Pogaru and Anvita Dutta (who plays the help Priya) are likeable and turn in solid performances as well.

The characters' conversations revolve around life partners, heartbreaks, regrets, dreams and life. Through these conversations over the next few days, each of them bonds with the other, vocalizing their concerns, sharing their pain and joy and rebuilding their relationships.

While there are no major plot developments, the internal conflicts of the three primary characters and the external conflicts among them add depth to the screenplay.

B Prasanna's semi-classical (and Tibetan pieces) background score blends with the warmth of the characters.

Shukla's sensitivity, subtlety and understanding of relationships makes Tashi a truly heartwarming film.

Tashi was screened at the LIFFT India Filmotsav in Lonavala on 10 December 2018.