Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Cinema is a very powerful medium.Like any other powerful media it needs to be harnessed well or the results can be go awry. For all the power it has, it is not after all so easy to captivate the audience, strike a cord and forever etch it in the viewers memory. Vishal Bharadwaj's Blue Umbrella does just that and in my opinion does a bit more!It takes a simple village tale woven by Ruskin Bond and makes it to an amazing movie. Cinematography is amazing and the first scene is proof enough. Pankaj Kapoor gives another performance worth remembering. Bhardwaj knows close-ups with such powerful actors work well and we see lot of closeups in the movie. It goes without saying Kapoor's expressions during close-ups are just brilliant and something to look out for. The filmmaker also gets the best of the child actors and the screenplay, the gait all seem add to the rhythm of the cinema. And more than all these it is a movie about humans, their desires, their failings and emotions.All in all wonderful cinema!!! Please do watch it!!

The Blue Umbrella is an instant classic. It is simple, heart warming and metaphorical at the same time. It is based on a novella by celebrated author Ruskin Bond. Bond's story captures the mood and the uncomplicated lifestyle of a small hill town spot-on and Vishal Bharadwaj renders it on the screen flawlessly.A little girl (Shreya Sharma) trades her lucky charm for an umbrella with a Japanese tourist. The beauty of the umbrella takes over the whole of the town. Everybody falls for it but none more than the stingy shopkeeper Khatri (Pankaj Kapoor). He wants to have it by hook or crook. What Khatri finds and looses in his quest for the umbrella is the rest of the story.This film is a reminder of the fact that Pankaj Kapoor never got the recognition he deserves. He is one of the finest actors this country has ever produced. He single-handedly turns 'The Blue Umbrella' from an ordinary film into extra ordinary achievement. The nuances he brings to his role - a twitch of his face, a gait to his walk, everything - works to etch the character in the minds of the viewer. A splendid performance is all I can say in short.The little Shreya is endearing. We are as heart broken as she is when she looses her umbrella; and we rejoice with her when she dances with it.The biggest credit of all, however, goes to Vishal Bharadwaj. It takes courage and commitment to make the kind of films he has made so far. A gem of a film !

Vishal Bharadwaj has evolved in such a wonderful Director with poetic sensibilities and characteristics of becoming world's great directors.Blue Umbrella is a screen version of Ruskin Bond's short story Blue Umbrella. It is about a young girl Binya (Shriya) who trades her superstitious lucky charm of bear nails in return of a Japanese Blue Umbrella with tourists. Instantly she becomes a center of attraction of the villagers. A small trader Nandakishore (Pankaj Kapoor) eyes of the Blue Umbrella and tries all ways of get the umbrella. When Binya's umbrella is stolen – the police raid Nandakishore's shop. Facing this humiliation and to show that he too can afford or buy an umbrella, Nandakishore orders a similar Japanese Red Umbrella. Once the Red Umbrella comes, he gains back popularity and respect from everyone in the village. During a wrestling bout where he is the chief guest, it rains and the Red Umbrella starts loosing out color and shows that it was the Blue Umbrella. The villagers decide to boycott Nandakishore and outcast him from the village. Nobody talks with him, nobody buys anything from his shop. He faces poverty and humiliation again. But this time it teaches him a lesson of life. Once when Binya forgets her umbrella at his shop, he understand the miseries that the Blue Umbrella caused him and honestly goes back to return the umbrella to Binya. But Binya shows grace and generosity by saying that the Blue Umbrella does not belong to her. The movie ends there… I applaud this movie onlybecause of the intention of good directors to make pure and beautiful cinema. Can you ever think and imagine Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese or Frank Miller making a children's movie? And that makes them less mortals. The versatility of great directors is the variety they handle. Tarantino, Scorsese and Millers are one dimensional in that sense and can not go beyond gory, blood and violence and that is were their creativity is so cornered and restrictive. That is why hats off to Vishal to have guts to venture into new medium and showcase that irrespective of whatever themes; he remains a good director.Vishal selects one of the most evolved and brilliant actors in recent times – Pankaj Kapoor who pours such a life in the character of Nandakishore that it is hard to believe this is a role depicted by an actor. He is too brilliant! Third time great – Maqbool, Dharm and Blue Umbrella. The girl Binya is good – but only to the director's lessons; and does not leave a lasting impression as the Makdee girl Swehta Prasad.The music is good, cinematography brilliant, locale of North Indian Himalayan ranges superb. All in all a great children's movie. It has the purity of cinema and showcases the goodness of human spirit. Teaches small but important lessons of life.(Stars 7.75 out of 10)

I would just like to comment on the plot synopsis written by Michelle Sohn. I disagree with the comment 'The film blends the extremely colorful and gaudy images with Bollywood-style song and dance!' Where does Michelle Sohn find 'GAUDINESS' in the movie? As an avid watcher of Hindi movies, I really do not approve of such words in a fine example of cinema! I had the misfortune of watching stupid and senseless movies like transformers, Premonition, The wedding singer etc. and i believe they are much more 'gaudy' than this movie. I request IMDb to please employ people who know how to write a good plot synopsis without restoring to jingoism. A final word to Michelle Sohn- I think Indian movies far outshine American movies so please don't write reviews if you are not really interested in our movies!!!!!!!!