(Note from the Editor: This is the latest in a series of reviews AsAmNews is running on films being showcased on CAAMFest. Siddharth runs March 16 at the Castro Theater at 2:30)
By Farah Khan
Nothing is more heart-wrenching than the loss of a child, but perhaps more emotionally tormenting, is the lack of closure that comes when a child suddenly vanishes. It is this uniquely unfathomable anguish that writer and director Richie Mehta chronicles in his 2013 film Siddharth.
Mahendra Saini (played by Rajesh Tailang) struggles to make ends meet as a chain-wallah who roams the streets of Delhi fixing broken zippers. His meager salary barely supports his family of four, including his wife Suman (played by Tannishtha Chatterjee) and his two children, son Siddharth aka Siddhu and daughter Pinky. Thus, when the opportunity to have an extra source of monthly income presents itself in the form of factory work in Ludhiana for his 12-year-old son, Mahendra eagerly accepts the proposition. Additional money from this factory work would be good for everybody in the family, and the work would be good for Siddhu….or so he thought.
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When Siddhu doesn’t come home as planned for Diwali one month after having left 
for his factory job, the Mahendra slowly realizes just how drastically the situation has changed. And as the situation unravels over the course of the ensuing 96 minutes of the film, every member of the Saini family unravels as well. Where did Siddhu go? What happened to Siddhu? Why hasn’t he come home? How can Siddhu be found? When will the Saini family be whole again? Who can help find Siddhu? Mahendra tries to answer all of these questions and more in his search for his son, and this father’s journey pulls you in immediately and has you personally asking who, what, where, when, why, and how.
Siddharth’s greatest strength lies in the way in which the writing and directing capture the sheer humanity of every single character entwined in this emotional saga. From overwhelming guilt to intolerable anguish to insatiable grief to unyielding hope, every single emotion practically pours out of the screen and into your lap. The entire cast portraying these complex emotions does complete justice to their character, but, ultimately, Siddharth rests on Rajesh Tailang’s more than capable shoulders. As a father grappling with the loss of his son in the face of his overwhelming illiteracy and poverty, Tailang brilliantly captures every nuance of his character – from Mahendra’s guilt regarding the criminality of child labor to his confusion regarding the unknown “Dongri” location where missing children are often discovered to his silent tears of despair along much of his seemingly never-ending quest to bring his son home.
Siddharth was inspired by Richie Mehta’s own experiences on the streets of Delhi where he was struck by the sheer helplessness of a man who inquired about “Dongri” in the context of his own child who had gone missing after leaving home for work. Mehta’s personal experiences with the city of Delhi and India overall were evident throughout the film, from the well-shot sequences of Delhi city life to the well-translated subtitles of the colloquial Hindi dialogues. In one fell swoop, Siddharth managed to rekindle my personal love-hate relationship with Delhi: the richness of the culture so quickly offset by the frustrating circumstances of so many of the city’s residents. Nevertheless, such helpless situations aside, the resilience of the human spirit is something to be reckoned with, and it is this resilience – this hope – that leaves such a lasting impression at the conclusion of this wonderful movie.
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