Pipsi

Story: In a drought-stricken village in Vidarbha where water is precious than anything else, two kids, Chaani and Balu, go out of their ways to keep a fish alive with the belief that that if the fish lives, so will Chaani’s ailing mother.

Review: If Pipsi was to be described in two words, it would be short and sweet. A cliched phrase, yes, but apt for this one because it is a simple and heart-warming story that has multiple facets and establishes an emotional connect with the viewers.

The trailer of the film makes it clear that the film is essentially a story of Chaani (Patwardhan) and Balu (Joshi) who are on a mission to keep a fish alive. The reason? The kids happen to listen to a story about a king whose soul resided in a fish. So long as the fish was alive, the king couldn’t be harmed. Chaani relates this to the situation of her ailing mother (Patil) and is determined to save a fish she finds by chance one day. Balu helps her in the endeavour and they learn a thing or two about life through the whole experience.

In its true sense, Pipsi is a story of hope and writer Saurabh Bhave has beautifully used ‘hope’ to present not just Chaani and Balu’s story, but also the struggle of farmers in Vidarbha as they hope for a better tomorrow. Moreover, the director, Rohan Deshpande, has executed the story precisely on screen. While the film progresses largely through the kids’ perspective, the drought-like situation in some parts of Maharashtra also forms the crux of the story.

Sahil and Maithili, both state award winning young actors, show the maturity of established actors and bring out the emotions of their characters perfectly. The supporting cast is equally good.

Pipsi is not devoid of flaws. It goes slightly off-track in between when it tries to bring in the real estate investment bit and certain instances are left unexplained. Thankfully, it gets back on track soon and makes for a good watch.

Let’s just say that if the king’s soul resided in the fish, Pipsi’s resides in the two kids.