THE UNKNOWN CRAFTSMAN

              THE UNKNOWN CRAFTSMAN

“There is a magic here in this film”-B.N.Goswami

SATORI! If I’m asked to describe this movie “The Unknown Craftsman” by Amit Dutta in a

single sentence-I would say “An architect’s quest for Satori.”Satori is a sudden revelation of truth or

more precisely an enlightenment.In simple terms,I believe, both Satori and Epiphany means gaining a

wider understanding of oneself and the world around.That is exactly the main end of education- As

the motto goes….“Thamaso ma Jyothir gamaya,”where the subject entreats a spiritual figure to lead

him from darkness to light.To understand the higher truth we should be alienated or distanced from

this material world,only then will we be able to embark upon such a lofty venture.The anonymous

architect in our story travels across Himalayas to find an impeccable location to build a temple.

He

wanted it to be an eternal monument of which an entire civilization can brag of.But this lofty

endeavour pushes our architect into dire straits with all the doubts and uncertainty.Let’s watch the

movie to ascertain whether he will face his demons or fall by the wayside!

Like all other spiritual and ethereal endeavours this movie also begins with the invocation of

God.The craftsman implores God to provide him inner vision, to help him see beyond the apparent

real.He looks to god for guidance and protection.In the beginning I felt that he was craving for a

unification with God only later did I understand that he was praying for a divine guidance to attain

victory in his embarkment.He was uncertain of the path on which he was going.Though he was very

prudent he was dubious.This ambivalence is seen throughout the film.The epiphany that he was going

to attempt something exemplary in this mediocre world made him restless.He incessantly prayed to

God for divine inspiration.But he sustained his cool composure in the midst of this turmoil(can we say

existential angst?).His odyssey is complemented by brief sojourns where his solitary musings took

place.Each of these meditations revealed a general truth to him which would have helped him in his

endeavour.Though he was not sure of the victory he was not ready to leave the journey at

midway.His grit,patience and perseverance speak for his determination to build the impeccable

monument. We can discern a divine presence throughout the movie.A spiritual being makes his

presence visible not to the protagonist but to the audience.Perhaps the protagonist can also feel his

presence since we see the spirit diffusing into the architect-a sort of spiritual union is hinted here.The

architect constantly craves for a source of light in this darkened world which is later provided by the

aforementioned spirit.Later we are told by the narrator that the prime instrument of the architect is

the measuring rod which he carried with him.This implies that to come out of this encumbrance the

architect should be well composed and omniscient.He should be balanced .He walked through the

woods and came across a few ornaments perhaps these signify the counter forces obstructing him

from attaining victory.He ignored them,went to a secluded place and reflected on various

aspects.Later he prayed to god for vision and bowed down to nature for permission to use the woods

as the location for the temple.The architect received an insight into the omnipresence of God even in

woods and soil.The commentary goes on “Should one bow down to the forces or barge ahead like a

fool?”The knowledge we acquire is superficial..to discern the eternal truth we should forget all of our

prior knowledge and presumptions. The architect implored God to unveil the mystery and lead him towards the correct path.He

examined various places with his measuring rod but he found them unfit and abandoned

them.Meanwhile he talked of spiritual and material aspects of life.When he came across the

ornaments for the second time he stared at them and rushed back claiming that “the path is full of

obstructions,temptations,terrors and distractions.”At a certain point he finds it difficult to resist

temptation and leaves the path.But he was determined enough to gain resilience and resumed his

journey.We find both positive and negative forces acting upon him and he should be using his

discretion to come out successfully. Coming to the cinematic aspects of the movie,it is rampant with enchanting horizons.The

scale of shot is mostly long shots to capture the captivating scenery of Himalayas.We are given a glimpse into the snow-capped Mountain ranges of Himalayas,the untamed trees,cloudy yet

shimmering Sky and the unknown architect who was in a quest for the eternal truth, in a single

frame.

The cinematography is ethereal and creates a spiritual environment wherein we can connect to

or identify with the artist portrayed. An aerial shot which captures the architect carving is remarkable

for it’s various shades of colours and protuberances on the rock.Some of the images are more like

painting than photographs.Though the main motive of the director is not cinematographic perfection

in this philosophical film,he never compromised on the filming techniques.The insight we get out of

this film weighs over the cinematographic aspects.Did the architect come out victorious?Did his

monument attain perfection?Give it a watch and draw your own conclusions!I promise you that the climax is unconventional!

-Santhwana Thomas