Beyond the Clouds

<p>The film begins with Aamir ( ), a young man who lives under a road bridge where numerous impoverished families live, grabbing a bike and carrying out a series of drug deliveries all over the city. A police bust interrupts Aamir, who is chased into the laundry workplace of Aamir’s sister Taara ( ). With the help of an older male colleague Akshi ( ), Taara conceals her brother and his stash of drugs. But in Akshi’s mind, his help means that Taara is now somehow beholden to him. He assaults her, but Taara defends herself by hitting his head with a rock. Taara finds herself facing life in prison unless Akshi recovers and can be persuaded to admit his role in the incident. But although he regains consciousness, Akshi is unable to talk. Both Taara and Aamir find hope in their desperate situation through connections with other children. Taara befriends Chotu, the child of an ailing prisoner, while Aamir initially considers selling Akshi’s eldest daughter to a local brothel. But Aamir grudgingly warms to Akshi’s mother and two daughters. In August 2016, director Majid Majidi landed in Mumbai for a . He met the casting director Honey Trehan, who stated that the film will be an Indian story to be shot in , , parts of , and . Trehan was told to scout at least eight to ten of the principal characters drawn from across the country. A. R. Rahman’s inclusion in the project was confirmed. In an interview with , Majidi stated, “It is the story of a brother and sister, just like that of (1997) with the difference being that the siblings are grown-ups and tackle greater conflicts, with the bustling city of Mumbai serving as the backdrop.” In November 2016, photographs of actress were published through where she was seen participating in a day long shoot for ‘s next untitled project that reported by the media by the titles and . A conference held in Mumbai on 23 January 2017, the film was officially titled “Beyond the Clouds”. Majidi stated the film will be in language. Ishaan Khatter was confirmed to play the male lead. On the departure of Padukone from the project, Majidi reasoned that Padukone wasn’t fitting for this film and his team decided not to opt for a mixture of experienced and new faces but either of the two (experienced or new faces), thus, settling for an all-new star cast. rejected the offered role citing it as submissive. Majidi stated: ” could have been set anywhere in the world, but it also needed to be located in India. India gave me the proper feeling I had envisaged for the story.” was signed to play the role of the female lead in March 2017. Khatter and Mohanan share were reported to play the roles of siblings in the film. Mohanan plays the character Tara, a poor girl from a . Principal photography commenced without a lead female on 23 January 2017. Filming continued in Mumbai in February 2017. In March 2017, the film began with its Jaipur schedule. A film set resembling the slums of Mumbai was reconstructed at . It was in this scheduled when Malavika Mohanan joined to play the lead female role. In April, scenes were filmed at . The last shot of the film was canned at a street sequence at in Mumbai. Ninety percent of the film was shot on outdoor locations. The filming was completed on 6 May 2017. Talking about the filming, Majidi said: “Filmmakers like , whose work I adore, have represented India’s culture, rich heritage and the lives of common people to a global audience. These visions and images have stayed in my mind for years and cajoled me to make a film in India. Finally, I’m in Mumbai with a lovely team to narrate a story woven around the lives of common people”. The and album is written and composed by . The album was released through on 2 April 2018, and in on 30 May 2018. The first look poster of the film was released at the . The second poster was released in . The film premiered at the 2017 . It was screened at the , , 5th International Bosphorous Film Festival, and was the opening film at the on 20 November 2017. The theatrical release of the film was planned in two phases. In the first phase, the film was released in 34 territories by Zee Studios International. The countries covered in phase one are Iran as well as over 70 screens in the GCC region including Dubai, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, and Qatar. Towards the west, USA, Canada, UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Maldives, Luxembourg, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, East West & South Africa, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Pakistan. The second phase of release includes the countries Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea and Russia. was released in India on 20 April 2018. On the website , 55% of 20 critics’ reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6/10. Simon Abrams of stated: “Majidi and Kashani’s shared vision feels incomplete, as if they were moments away from realizing how to temper their story’s condescending, but well-meaning perspective, but never got around to doing it.” Critic of noted that Majidi has a terrific talent for staging and shooting. However, he added that his story instincts are more run of the mill. Critic Guy Lodge based at , stated: “Majidi’s young leads lack finesse, but not emotive conviction, which suits the film’s purposes just fine; egged along by that score, it’s mostly all-caps protest cinema, getting its worthwhile message unambiguously across.” Deborah Young who writes for , noted: ” is more openly dramatic, with its poor siblings caught between the implacable law which throws suspects into prison without trial and ferocious vice lords who control drugs and prostitution with impunity. In this toxic environment, children are collateral victims.” For , Wendy Ide reviewed: “Although at times a little overwrought in tone, and at others emphatically sentimental, the film doesn’t pull its punches when it comes to condemning a society which punishes its poor. It’s also an arresting visual experience: a potent recurring motif uses silhouettes; another a scattering flocks of birds.” Shyam Krishna Kumar of stated: ” talks, with an extremely light touch, about the added pressure poverty puts on women and their safety. Majidi manages to tell this story in a country unlike his own — and tell it well — is a testament to its universal strength.” J. Hurtado of stated: “A stranger in a strange land, Majidi’s film attempts to use the rhythms of Bollywood without fully committing to the form, leaving this film as a bit of a half-baked effort that, while certainly worth watching, is far from a masterpiece”. Anisha Jhaveri of , graded the film B+ and noted: “Heartrending one minute and heavy-handed the next, “Beyond the Clouds” is in equal parts beautiful and frustrating.” Film critic reviewed: ” is a beautifully shot and beautifully made human drama with some sterling performances. But it has limited appeal at the box-office because of the way in which it has been treated. Its difficult English title and lack of recognisable faces will further restrict its commercial chances.” Devesh Sharma of reviewed, “It’s the duty of artist to familiarise the unfamiliar and that’s what Majidi has done here.” He assigned the film 3.5 stars out of 5. Umesh Punwani at gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5 and stated: “Majid Majidi, though not playing on his home ground, manages to hit the ball out of the park.” Niel Soans of assigned 3.5 stars out of 5, noting the visual appeal and direction, he pointed: “Majidi’s subject matter might seem to be repetitive, but the famed director’s take on redemption is fleshed out by strong performances to make another notable entry in his filmography.” Critic who wrote the review for gave the film 3 stars out of 5, stated: ” is a mixed bag.  It is likely to be a footnote in Majidi’s rich filmography. But the film is worth seeing as an intriguing experiment.” Critic who wrote for , reviewed by assigning 3 stars out of 5, “Ultimately the film offers comfort in the familiar…for those that seek it. It’s Majid Majidi-lite at best; a bittersweet, inoffensive drama that runs, but never flies”. ‘s Saibal Chatterjee gave the film 2.5 stars out of 5, calling it “overheated and underwhelming”. Reviewing the film for , critic Rohit Vats assigned 2.5 stars out of 5 and stated: “Despite excellent symbols and good performances in patches, Beyond The Clouds remains something we have seen before.” Shubhra Gupta of reviewed that the film is good-looking yet hollow, assigning it 2 stars out of 5. of pointed: “The film just doesn’t manage to throb with the authenticity of experience. It feels like an artificial world – virtuous but curiously inert.”</p>