'Poorna': Rahul Bose returns to direction after 16 years

Rahul Bose is a man of varied talents. At heart, he is a film person, an actor and part-time director -- he directed the interesting film "Everybody Says I'm Fine!" 16 years ago -- who loves outdoor sports.

So what better opportunity to return to direction than a biopic on little Poorna Malavath -- the youngest girl to scale Mount Everest? It's an inspirational rags-to-riches pit-bottom-to-Himalayan-peak story waiting to be told.

Going by the trailer that has just been released, Rahul has embraced the opportunity with the tender compassionate wisdom of a raconteur who knows that the most familiar stories are the ones most worth telling. And that in the economy of expression resides the optimum emotional investment.

"Poorna" shows a filmmaker caressing the craft with a cruiser's confidence and curiosity.

"Poorna" touches on the familiar tropes of the motivational sports genre: the stubborn unwavering coach (played by Rahul Bose himself), his disapproving distrustful smirking colleague (Heeba Shah) and at the centre of it all, the bright innocent Himalayan prodigy Poorna (played by a sensational new discovery Aditi Inamdar).

Indeed the last one year has seen an on-screen eruption of child prodigees from India: little Mayur Mahendra Patole as the record-breaking marathon runner from Odisha in "Budhia Singh: Born to Run", Neel Sethi as Mowgli in "The Jungle Book" and Sunny Pawar as the boy from a village in Madhya Pradesh who lands up in Australia in "Lion".

Undoubtedly, Poorna's story of valour will make a global impact. Whether it becomes the "Slumdog Mountaineer" (that's how the cynical Heeba Shah dismisses coach Rahul Bose's endeavour to take the little girl to the highest summit of the world) remains to be seen. One thing is for sure, though. Poorna's story was waiting to be told by a visionary who possesses a great love for the outdoors and an affinity to rugged sports and activities.

Yes, Rahul Bose fits the bill. Can't wait to see the unconquerable little girl conquer the Everest journey from a small village in Telangana to the highest mountain peak of the world.

Ambition, like filmmaking, is so democratic. It has no race, religion or gender. No full stops.

Trailer Rating: ****

--IANS

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