Amal (2007), Autorickshaws, and True Wealth
Amal is a 2007 Canadian-produced film set in India. In the film, G.K. Jayaram, a wealthy and terminally ill man (played by Naseeruddin Shah) searches the streets of Delhi for a person worthy of inheriting his millions of rupees in wealth. He finds this person in Amal (played by Rupinder Nagra), an autorickshaw driver dedicated to honesty, kindness, and good customer service.
Autorickshaws are small three-wheeled vehicles. They go by various nicknames, but in Hyderabad, I came to call them ‘autos’. Between the cities of India, their exterior colors vary, but within each city, they are generally uniform in appearance. In Hyderabad, for example, an auto’s body is yellow, and its roof is black. In Delhi, and in Amal, the autos are green-bodied with yellow roofs.
Auto interiors vary considerably. It’s always a pleasure to jump into an auto with a non-descript exterior and find artist designs across the interior ceiling. Amal’s auto is conservatively decorated, it’s main flourish a photo of his father, the man who taught him his work ethic and bequeathed him his career.
The front seat of an auto is for the driver, who navigates traffic with what looks like the handles of a motorcycle. The back seat is for the passengers, who sit across a single bench. An auto’s passenger limit is subject to much experimentation, and its sides are open to the world.
In the film, Amal’s passengers vary between those who have scheduled daily pick-ups (for commutes from home to work, or from school to home, for example) and those who hail him from the side of the street. It is in catering to the latter category that Amal picks of Mr. Jayaram, weeks into his search for the perfect candidate to inherit his wealth.
Throughout his search, Jayaram started arguments across Delhi, looking for someone who would elevate kindness for a seemingly confused and aging man above a desire for a few more rupees. When Amal answers Jayaram’s verbal abuse with patience, and his short-changing with generosity, Jayaram knows that he has found his man.
Amal’s honest and work ethic are major themes throughout the film. These characteristics contrast him greatly to those of Jayaram’s family and friends (who form the antagonists of the film), and underscore the film’s main message, that true wealth cannot be measured in bank statements.
I really enjoyed Amal (which is available on Netflix). It is a quiet film, and it’s gentle pace aligns well with the characteristics of it title character. I was also happy for the reminder of the many times autos took me from one place to another, offering a strangely calm vantage point from which to view the often chaotic, yet seemingly choreographed, world outside.
See trailer here: