MACHACHARI OCTOBER 30

MACHACHARI OCTOBER 30
The story today is about the life of the children in the slum and in the modern city estate. The housing facility is the main focus as the producer decides to use rainfall to show what children in the slums go through when it rains. There are leaking roofs which force the children to remain awake at night in order to try and contain the raindrops falling in the room with tins so that the room is not flooded. On the other side children learn to take care of each other as we are shown the well off children welcoming those from the slum to their bedroom and even share their clothes and duvets with them.
The familiar montage is cut and we see an establishment shot which is a tracking shot of the train moving on the rail road. It dissolves into a scene where Madvd, Govi and Baha are talking.
The establishment shot of the next scene is panning shot of the family house. In the house, Joy and Almasi are sited on the floor. The camera is put at a wide angle and we can now see the House girl, Sophia in the scene.
That scene is cut abruptly and we are back to the living room of Baha’s family. They are cooking and a medium shot of Govi reveals that he tastes the liver that is cooking. That is cut and we now see a wide shot of every one in the room. Madvd removes a plastic bag from his pocket and from it removes chapattis. The children are excited. Different shots show Madvd serving the liver and chapattis to the children. He gives little food and takes the rest for himself. A close up of his full plate lets us understand just how much he will eat compared to the small portions he has given to the children. We are taken for a commercial break.
In the next scene, Joy and Almasi are talking about the rain that has just started pouring outside. A tracking shot shows us the children leaving to the front door. That shot dissolves to a full shot slowing the two children standing at the verandah. That editing technique ensures continuity. Sophia comes and sends the children back in the house.
In the slum, it is raining too. A close up of a tin on the floor with drops falling into it makes us wonder what that is. A smooth zoom out reveal that the roof is leaking and all the children sleeping on the floor have tins to contain the rain drops. A tilt up reveals Madvd sleeping on the sofa oblivious of what the children are going through. Back to the children, they speak in hushed voices and decide to go to their friends’ house to shelter from the rain. There are good shots as the children creep out leaving Madvd in the room sleeping. We are left with a close up of Madvd’s face (as he sleeps) which slowly fades out.
In the next scene, Almasi and Sophia are in the kitchen, they hear a knock and listen attentively, it repeats. A tracking shot shows us Almasi going to check who is at the door. His attention is directed to the small garbage door and a tracking shot takes us with him as he opens it and the children from the slum come in bending, one by one. They all run to the house. On the other side of the kitchen, Joy’s mother is giving Sophia instructions to put the children to bed. The camera is put at a wide angle and we see the mother leaving. There is good lead room and we can be able to see the direction she is heading to.
In the bedroom we see the children sleeping; they talk in hushed voices so that Almasi’s mother does hear them. Almasi and Sophia bring duvets to cover them and also they are given warm clothes to put on. Good sound is evident as I gather there is a knock outside. A breast shot of Sophia shows us she has heard the knock. She picks an umbrella and a tracking shot follows her outside. That is cut to a full shot of her looking at the gate, she can’t see anyone. She walks to the garbage door and opens it, Madvd comes in, he is very angry. We see a full shot from the back as both walk to the house.
We see them enter the room where the children are sleeping. That is cut and we now see him talking so angrily to the children and demands that they all wake up because they have to go back to the slum at that hour. A close-up of Govi shows that he is so upset with that. He pleads with Madvd to let them spend the night there because it was raining in their house. The camera shifts to Madvd who stands up and start forcing the children up one by one and pushes them outside the door. That fades in to a shot of Madvd, Stella, Baha, and Govi leaving for the gate. There is very good lead room and we can gather that they are leaving for the gate. The montage announces that that episode is over.
The program was well produced. I specifically liked the shots of the scene in the slum when the roof was leaking; the shots were captured in a very dramatic way that brought suspense. The lighting was not very good. At one point there was candle light yet there was too much light that the meaning of the light from the candle was overshadowed. If they could have made the room darker such that the only light onset was from the candle, it would have been better. There were good editing techniques especially with the shots of children entering one by one from the small garbage door to the main house and finally to the bedroom avoiding the kitchen where Almasi’s mother was.