Shadows Of Time

Aroview: Sumptuous romantic melodrama of a high order, following the bittersweet relations between two abandoned children, who graduate from working in a Calcutta carpet factory to financial and marital success respectively, before being swept back together again by the clouds of fate.

Reflecting the European sensibility of debuting German dir. Gallenberger in its strong narrative lines and notions of destiny, this succeeds in casting a fresh sidelight on Indian society, while crafting a memorable portrait of two star-crossed hearts. If at times the plot rolls forward like a Hollywood epic, the agonies and ironies of the tale (as with Douglas Sirk), are thoroughly enjoyable.