Colour of paradise: Majid Majidi’s Masterpiece

Mohammad is a curious young boy who is constantly discovering the nature around him. He is bright and has picked a remarkable ability to read using braille. He is loved by his young sisters and nurtured by his grandmother, and the local school is proud of the boys academic abilities. His father though, is ashamed of his blindness and tries to disown him. Colour of paradise is the story of the struggle between father and son.

Majid Majidi who wrote and directed this movie is a master in making movies with children. Another of his master piece is Children of heaven. He take us through a web of complex emotions in this movie – first the joy of watching a child doing well for himself and enjoying the world. But closely interspersed with it is the father’s sense of shame, his ambition to remarry and have a wife (since his wife is dead), a context of poverty, etc. The grandmother of the child is in the tenous position of supporting the child and understanding the frustrations of the father. All these are done with minimum fuss and a clarity that is Majidi’s forte.

It would be terrible to say further about the story, especially if you have not watched it. Let me briefly add that the movie is set in a beautiful sourrounding and is accompained by well crafted background music. All in all, this movie is a great treat for any season.