The Blue Umbrella is an adaptation of a novel of the same name by Ruskin Bond .The director of the movie is Vishal Bharadwaj of Omkara and Maqbool fame and the music is also done by him .The the movie is produced by Ronnie Screwvala who has remained a very successful producer.
The film is not burdened with glamorous stars. Shreya Sharma and Pankaj Kapoor are the protagonists of the movie and the characters are edged out very well.
The story unfurls with the discovery of a vibrant blue umbrella by Biniya (Shreya Sharma),an eleven year old girl from an idyllic mountain village in North India .For this little girl nothing seemed more striking and beautiful than the umbrella .Nandikishore Khatri (Pankaj Kapoor)who stays in the same village runs a small tea stall in the village .This miserly old man is fond of pickles and swindling kids off their little possessions .Nandkishore is smitten helplessly by the beauty of the umbrella and is ready to go at any lengths to acquire the umbrella .He fails miserably and gives up all hopes and declares that he will forsake it.
However the umbrella `s arrival disturbs the tranquility and serenity of the village .The umbrella assumes mythical status and becomes Biniya`s secret weapon .One fine day the umbrella goes missing and villagers believe that Biniya`s carelessness has resulted in the loss of the umbrella. Alone and betrayed Biniya decides to take matters into her own hands .The next turn of the story begins with the search of the umbrella.
The Blue Umbrella raises important question on the concept of material happiness and the futility of the whole process. It is a deep exploration of the relationship between fantasy and childhood delights .The film is set in the cold textures of Dalhousie`s hilly climate that gives the story its purity that it demands.
