Ankhon Dekhi (2013)

[*** 1/2 stars / *****]

Sab kuch yahan hai, 

aankhen khol kar dekho 

(Everything is here, 

open your eyes and see)

Is it too late to ask ourselves - who am I, what am I to this world and how is life meant to be lived? 

The coronavirus-induced lockdown has been a time of perspective for some. For most, random thoughts and actions have guided our actions, the inculcated burden is to be busy, or perish.   

The urban perception of the truth is defined by Internet browsing, television news, newspapers, movies, WhatsApp forwards and how we view the world.

But do we really view the world around us without judgement, as children do? 

Are the blind more sensitive to life and those endowed with vision, blind?   

Ankhon Dekhi (Through My Own Eyes), streaming on Amazon Prime and Disney + Hotstar (India), is a person's journey onto himself, reflective of individuals who feel the urge to pause and delve within.  

Question everything...
What would you do if a family member, who you thought to be perfectly sane, abruptly changes their habits, outlook, and starts questioning life itself? 

We are reluctant to see change in ourselves, how would changes in our dear and near ones affect us not?    

In a life of absolute ordinariness, Bauji (Sanjay Mishra), the head of a Old Delhi joint family decides, after a chain of events - he will only believe what he experiences through his own eyes. 

This abrupt announcement rattles up the family members. Bauji quits his job, gathers a trail of unintended followers.

Ankhon Dekhi (2013), Rajat Kapoor's insightful yet feathery drama on questioning and absorbing life, is infused with a beautiful lead performance by Mishra. 

You may end up perceiving the world differently at the end of this one. 

I do not agree with the shocker ending - goes against the lead character's sensibilities. 

But for the most part, Ankhon Dekhi is a curious self-discovery of a sensitive rebellious life.