Watch: Audience's review of Vishal Bhardwaj's Pataakha

Pataakha is Vishal Bhardwaj’s adaptation of a short story by Charan Singh Pathik. In the beginning, it felt a bit flat to me. Too many Hindi films set in small towns and unfamiliar villages eagerly milk dialect and surroundings for laughs, but Bhardwaj keeps it raw. The dialogues steer clear of predictable punchlines and it takes a while to get used to a film that refuses to try too hard. Coming from a master director, this feels like a minor film — about two minors, daughters of a miner — till we get to see what these firecrackers are dreaming about.