User reviews

I got a chance to watch the film at IFFI Goa. I walked out of the theatre a changed person.

The director was present at the screening too, I told her to make more films. The film is a fictional story but woven around facts, 1974 is depicted beautifully in the film through radio stories, news etc. The portrayal of the Prime Minister is very interesting, never seen anything this cinematic in a Hindi film. The use of shadows was wonderful.

The queen is beautiful and poised. She demands authority, yet has a very sweet presence.

Enjoyable Film.

Probably the most original Indian movie I have seen in years! Eight Down Toofaan Mail, directed by Akriti Singh, tells a curious story of a woman landed at the New Delhi Railway station in 1974 claiming herself as the Queen of Awadh!

This movie is actually a period drama portraying the social and political aspect of independent India in the middle of the Railway Workers Strike during the Indira Gandhi era. An undertone of satire is always evident in this exceptional movie. We witness the birth, growth and evolution of a workers strike with the arrival and eventually departure of some uninvited guests at the North Delhi Railway Station waiting room. While the main focus was always on 'your royal highness', the audiences slowly dive into the life and politics of a struggling nation.

Eight Down Toofaan Mail delivered some powerful command on the heritability of colonialism and variability of homeland. It brought back the regret of the partition and asked serious questions on the equity of the nation. The director cum the lead actress, Akriti Singh achieved something unbelievable with this luminous work of art; creating an authentic work which tells more than its scope, is a mammoth work, but she did it masterfully.

If we talk about the technical aspects of this movie, the use of the retroish hue and pallet was brilliant. The camera was sharp too, covering a unique perspective. The incoherent protrayal of Indira Gandhi through the eye glasses and veil was remarkable. The cinematography, music and art design, all complemented each other to create some memorable cinematic moments.

The movie never explored the cause of the queen's arrival, it didn't served a backstory of her; rather it focused on the consequences of changes she brought and her effect on the thought process of different lives; from rikshawala, rail workers to the station master and the prime minister! Being poetic and surreal sometimes, or sentimental and satirical at places, Eight Down Toofaan Mail is ultimately a story of intimacy and exploration, which tells to seek the royalty, pride and sense of belonging within us. A rarest jewel of Indian movies. Stunning...

Saw this.at a fest here in NJ after my prof recommended it. Read the plot and was like WTF!

I could compare this to Zodiac. Poetic, mysterious, ironic and cerebral. Like pack a hi-def script into an indy-lo-fi Zodiac.

In one word? INSANE!

I had to research the whole India situation for an Empire and Colonialism course at the Uni when I came across this.

At first, I could not believe the core plot came from a real story, but then the way they used it to wrap around the aftermath, cultural and personal, of colonialism - never saw it like that.

That mysterious Queen is such a fresh way to show "A Queen" - that's hard to imagine for those of us who are used to the antics of the British Royalty. The words "Royal Dignity" come to mind.

The classic "do not give up" message but delivered in a way that gives hope and puts a smile on your face. That end melts my heart.

More people got to watch this - it's a shame that all the best movies in the world are so hard to get to.

I saw this at Babylon one evening with my girlfriend (who is Indian so knew the actress that is playing queen - her name is hard to spell for me). At first I did not expect much and thought it was just another drama.

But in the first two minutes the film grabbed my attention. In the first 10 minutes, things had escalated to International level! All while we are sitting in a small train station. I am very interested now and very interested in the characters.

There is one woman who lost her big home during Indian partition (which was like a civil war), my parents come from Jena and they could relate to it, the grief that comes from displacement. How do you deal with this? You go and ask for your palace back. You make a throne for yourself and ask, as only a Queen can. Undeniable.

But the film is not sad at all, but it is full of feeling, like Rilke's verses.

There are elements of surreal used to show the real story, which make things even more real. Like Prime Minister dreams a dream and then goes to the place where the dream happens. We never see politicians' dreams, only the main characters dream in movies. Here everyone has a dream, while the main character holds her make-shift court.

I could not understand some Indian contexts but I am sure there was more as my girlfriend had tears in her eyes and held my arm in the end. I want to see this film again, but I don't know where to get it.

It is easily one of the most worthy watches of this year.