| Meel Patthar | |
| Director: | Ivan Ayr |
| Producer: | Kimsi Singh |
| Starring: | Suvinder Vicky Lakshvir Saran |
| Music: | Gautam Nair |
| Cinematography: | Angello Faccini |
| Editing: | Ivan Ayr |
| Studio: | Jabberwockee Talkies |
| Distributor: | Netflix |
| Runtime: | 98 minutes |
| Country: | India |
| Language: | Hindi Punjabi |
Meel Patthar is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language drama film co-written, edited and directed by Ivan Ayr and produced by Kimsi Singh.[1] Starring Suvinder Vicky and Lakshvir Saran in major roles, the story follows a truck driver who tries to cope with the tragic death of his wife.[2] The film premiered in the Orizzonti (Horizons) section of the 77th Venice International Film Festival on 3 September 2020.[3] [4] It was also screened at the 25th Busan International Film Festival and the Pingyao International Film Festival.[5] [6] Meel Patthar won the Best Film award while Vicky was given the Best Performer Award in the Asian feature film category at the Singapore International Film Festival.[7] Netflix acquired the distribution rights of the film and it was released worldwide on the platform on 7 May 2021.[8]
The film is partially in Punjabi language as the protagonist is Punjabi who is working in the New Delhi region.[9] It was shot in January and February in 2020.[10] Ayr said that the film "tells you where you are and how much further you have to go." Further explaining: "Like how we say there is a significant moment or milestone one has crossed, that is there in the film. He gets to a certain milestone which he is unaware of and certain things begin to happen which makes things uncertain."[9] After the nationwide lockdown was imposed, Ayr got the film edited and sound-mixed from a remote location. The film was shot in a village in Haryana.[11] To get into how truck drivers operate, Ayr spent time with several one of them for the research in Delhi and Chandigarh.[11] Both the actors took truck driving lessons for their role.[10]
Meel Patthar received mostly positive response from critics. [12]
Namrata Joshi noted that the film "offers a brooding look at lives constantly on the move, yet always paused."[13] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV wrote: "This sublimely multi-layered film embraces the personal struggles of its characters with as much passion as it portrays the manifestations of the social inequities that are an intrinsic part of their existence."[14] Stutee Ghosh of The Quint said, "A cinematic milestone, Ivan Ayr’s Meel Patthar is a moving portrait of a man lacerated by the truth of life."[15] Baradwaj Rangan praised the film and wrote: "This moving tale of a trucker paints a portrait of an ecosystem where everything and everyone appears to be a metaphor for disuse, neglect, ageing."[16] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express called the film "a poignant, lyrical look at the life of a truck driver."[17]