The Pool

For his keenly observant narrative feature debut, documentary filmmaker Chris Smith and writer Randy Russell have deftly transposed Russell's short story "The Pool" from Iowa to the Indian state of Goa, in the small city of Panjim. It centers on Venkatesh (Venkatesh Chavan), a poor but resourceful and determined youth who has left his native village and found part-time janitorial work in a hotel. Captivated by a large swimming pool in a rambling country estate, Venkatesh talks its middle-aged owner (Nana Patekar, an icon of the Indian cinema) into letting him help him with the gardening.
His new employer is gruff but kindly and takes a paternal interest in Venkatesh, encouraging him in his desire to get an education and to consider trying his luck in Mumbai. The employer's daughter Ayesha (Ayesha Mohan) challenges the get-ahead values her father embodies to the impressionable Venkatesh. She believes that he would be better off staying in Panjim than going to the harsh, competitive Mumbai.
In its leisurely, exceedingly subtle way, "The Pool" charts Venkatesh's gradual awakening to the larger world, where he meets people who have more money and opportunities than he has ever known. A nonprofessional but a natural, Chavan reveals Venkatesh as an affable, hard-working young man, utterly devoid of self-pity like his feisty 11-year-old pal, Jhangir (Jhangir Badshah). Best of all, Venkatesh has the capacity to think for himself.
Da The Los Angeles Times, 19 settembre 2008