Review of The Pool (2007) by Meghan M — 14 May 2010

This is a Hindi movie set in Goa directed by an American director Chris Smith. The story is of Venkatesh, a boy who works in a hotel as a cleaner in Panjim. In order to substantiate his earnings, he sells plastic bags at the market along with his very young friend Jehangir.

This every day existence is fueled by a desire to swim in a pool that they pass everyday on their way to work. On Jahangirâ??s insistence he decides to climb over the wall and take that plunge but the owners of the house have already moved inâ?¦His curiosity is further peaked by the pensive owner played by Nana Patekar and his relationship with his rebellious daughter played by Ayesha Mohan.

So that he continues to pursue a relationship with them. He offers his help to Nana Patekar in the garden and they develop a bond through their many hours that they spend in the garden. Ultimately, offering him a chance to go to Mumbai with him and pursue school.

He also befriends Ayesha through his persistence and becomes buddies with her, yet he does not understand why the daughter and the father would not talk to each other or about the pool. Just when you thought the movie would have a predictable ending, comes the surprise��Chris Smith has done a wonderful job with a cast of amateurs extracting superb and believable performances.

Nana Patekar is restrained and I was surprised because the man is known for his energetic and volatile acting.I simply wonder why this movie is not known to many people, especially since Slumdog Millionaire became such a success, Amazon does not even have a DVD for sale on the website.

The screenplay is based on a short story set in Iowa and was written by Randy Russell but has been seamlessly moved to be set in Goa. I enjoyed the movie and I recommend itâ?¦.4 stars.