Even today in north and central Calcutta, you will find faded graffiti on walls where K.C. Paul is trying to tell the world that it is the sun which is actually revolving around the earth and not the other way round. The Class VIII dropout didn’t take Copernicus’s theory at page value and made his own calculations. He became a teacher and urged his students not to believe the text books and find out things for themselves.

Sanjay Mishra’s Bauji in Rajat Kapoor’s new film Ankhon Dekhi becomes K.C. Paul one fine morning. He has the epiphany after the boy his daughter has been secretly meeting turns out to be a nice, shy bloke and not the rowdy ruffian everyone around him claimed he was. Bauji concludes that nothing or no one can be trusted anymore and everything has to be seen to be believed.

One of the first things he does is quit his travel agent job because sitting in his old Delhi office he cannot say for sure what the weather was like in Amsterdam. He can’t keep lying to sell air tickets. He then goes after his nephew’s mathematics teacher demanding an explanation to the rule about two parallel lines. “If they can never meet, how are they meeting at infinity?”

That Bauji is the head of an elaborate joint family, where each member has his or her own issues, makes everything even more chaotic. And even more fun. None of the family members endorses the old man’s mad theories but half the neighbourhood joins Bauji in his quest for verifying everything ankhon dekhi. They all even visit the zoo to check whether a tiger actually roars or maybe meows or moos. When the big cat does oblige, Bauji’s pyjamas are badly soiled!

But writer-director Rajat Kapoor, who has been one of the most underrated storytellers of Indian cinema having gifted us gems like Mithya and Raghu Romeo, is not content at earning the guffaws and the chuckles. As the narrative unfolds and more routine things start happening to Bauji, like his brother leaving and setting up his own home and his daughter getting married, Rajat turns the charming seeing-is-believing fable into a bigger life lesson of going out and experiencing life for yourself.

“Sab anubhav ko jod ke bana mera jeevan,” Bauji says. He stands in a crowded market with a big hand-written placard that reads: “Sab kuch yaheen hai, aankhen khol kar dekho.” What is life but a summation of everything we have been through. Books, movies, art, imagination can only create a feeling but never ever conjure the full-bodied experience. Why should even flying be restricted to dreams, Bauji demands. What he does about that is something you have to find out for yourself.

Rajat creates the world of his film with so much love that every frame, every prop, every costume draws you closer. Although set in the now, he gives the look and feel of the movie an old world sweep, which goes brilliantly with the mood and tone of the narrative. But what he does best is get together this brilliant ensemble cast, where every actor finds the correct note and owns the film.

Mishra is outstanding as Bauji; his poker face, his speech, his silence, his walk, his dance, his smile, his stare, every twitch of every muscle just right. It’s as if he’s made himself the instrument of this character. Seema Pahwa as the loud, always-in-despair wife is a fitting sidekick and the tender moments between her and Bauji are beautifully done. Rajat himself is excellent as the kharoos younger brother whose final breakdown scene is sure to make your eyes well up.

Rafey Mehmood’s shots and Meenal Agarwal’s production design work very well in tandem. Sagar Desai’s very Indian background score pieces sound rich and dramatic but don’t always go with the mood of the moment. The sound design by Resul Pookutty and Amrit Pritam is very detailed and helps bring old Delhi alive and how.

Ankhon Dekhi is an ‘experience’ you just cannot miss. But you know what, don’t take my word for it. Go and watch it for yourself. And then fly.