Rating: *****

Director – Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Producer – Applause Entertainment & S L B films
Cast – Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukherji, Shernaz Patel, Nandana Sen, 
Dhritiman Chaterji & Ayesha Kapoor.
 
 
Reviewed by: Sangita Iyer	
 
 
Black is Beautiful, Black is Love, Black is Astounding, Black is Courage, 
Black is Kindness. Black is all that and more. It’s a story of two 
extraordinary lives. The film portrays an Anglo Indian family settled in 
Simla who have two daughters, the eldest of whom, Michelle McNally 
(Ayesha Kapoor/Rani Mukherji) is deaf and blind. Michelle has mood 
swings, throws temper tantrums and gets violent at the slightest 
frustration because she feels like there is no way of reaching out. 
Debraj Sahai (Amitabh Bachchan), a teacher for the deaf and blind, is 
an eccentric and an alcoholic but he is dedicated to his profession and 
is referred as a magician for his ability as a teacher. The principal of a 
school in Dehradun and his friend, Ms. Nair sends him to the McNally 
house to help Michelle. Despite several obstacles, he succeeds in 
working his magic and does wonders for Michelle. He teaches her to 
communicate with the world. He teaches her everything but one word 
and that is IMPOSSIBLE. His dream of sending Michelle to a college 
with the normal students becomes a reality one day. By then, Debraj 
starts suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, which is the term used to 
describe a dementing disorder marked by certain brain changes. He 
starts experiencing problems of memory, particularly recent and short-
term memory.
 
He goes away for several years and when Michelle finds him one day 
he has reached the advanced stage of the disease that had destroyed 
his cognition, personality and the ability to function. The roles are now 
reversed where Michelle takes it upon her to teach her teacher all that 
he had once taught her. 
 
Black is dedicated to the life of Helen Keller and the deaf and blind all 
over the world. It reminds you of the Hollywood make ‘The Miracle 
Worker’. Hats off to Sanjay Leela Bhansali for depicting the film with 
such sensitivity. He has managed to expose the souls of the characters 
in front of us & the entire experience is so spiritual and fascinating, it 
touches your heart and unleashes a passion of never felt emotions. It 
is poignant and depressing yet positive. 
 
Each and every actor in the film has given a flawless performance. 
Amitabh Bachchan is incredible and Rani Mukherji has given her finest 
performance so far. Shernaz Patel, Dhritiman Chaterji & Nandana Sen 
have done an impeccable job playing the roles of Michelle’s parents 
and sister. Last but not the least, Ayesha Kapoor is mind blowing as 
the young Michelle & manages to steal some vital scenes in the film. 
The only imperfection, I believe was the 'Charlie Chaplin' walk by Rani 
Mukherji. Was it so crucial to mimic that?
 
Black, of course is a must see. It is in a category of its own because 
with Black, Sanjay Leela Bhansali has taken  Indian Cinema to new 
heights. 
 
I give it *****
 
 
Here’s how I rate them:
 
*		-	A bummer, skip this one.
**		-	A popcorn movie, viewable but flawed.
***		-	A good movie, gives you your money’s worth.
****		-	A near perfection, highly recommendable.
*****	-	A rarity! Knock your socks off kinda movie.