The 2004 movie “Morning Raga”, starring Shabana Azmi, Prakash Rao, Lillette Dubey and Perizaad Zorabian, explores the polemics and passions that segregate today’s generations from the Indian classical heritage in the past.

The film spans two generations of families who lived and lost. Swarnalatha, a Carnatic music singer from a South Indian village, blames herself for the death of her son and her violinist-accompanist friend Vaishnavi in a bus accident, when they were on the way to the city to fulfill Swarnalatha’s lifelong dream by participating in a music concert. Shattered by guilt and remorse, she goes into a self imposed exile never to sing again.

Fast forward twenty years later. Swarnalatha hasn’t left her village in all these years, never daring to cross the bridge where they died. Abhinay, the son of Vaishnavi, is a musician making a living out of composing jingles for advertisements. Dissatisfied with his job, he goes back to the village with his girlfriend Priyanka to start their own band. They start a music group, but soon realize that something is missing. Their common passion for music draws Abhinay and Priyanka to Swarnalatha, and they attempt to persuade her to sing for their group. She turns down the offer initially, but relents subsequently.

Besides their passion for music, Swarnalatha, Abhinay and Priyanka also have something else in common – the old accident on the bridge. The passing on of a legacy is a critical leitmotif in this tale of loss and redemption. In one way or another, every character finds his or her lost self. Mani Sharma and Amit Heri have done a wonderful job of the songs and background score. The fusion of raga and reggae is subliminal.

Morning Raga must be watched by anyone who cares for cinema of sense and substance.

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