Shanghai
A clash between an increasingly
invertebrate homo sapien and a libido infested lumpenised power structure told
with the inspiration of Vassilis Vassilikos Z makes for a spine chilling
comment detailed with documentary credibility, Hitchcock’s intrigue and a
Govind Nihlani intensity. Watch it to vitalise the dying patriot in u, if not
the enquiring citizen. The parallel between the truth and the farce running in
the narrative is not just absorbing but grammatically triumphant in the context
of the style. A camera that probes rather than just exhibits a compulsively
hypocritical social order with an ever widening gap between the truth and the
public posture adds the punch albeit short of the Costa Gavras masterpiece.
The social tattoos that hurt the nation’s fabric are faulted from no pulpit but
are placed before you stripped of all niceties and this arguably is the
greatest USP of the filmmaker. To wield the megaphone is a critical function
when the film maker is willing to take on contemporary issues. When he stays
away from the pulpit and yet is intellectually honest, you know that you are
dealing with a trustworthy product – which is not very often in the context of
our cinema.
Ensconced in an unparalleled narcissism the political wing of the country is
surely in its lowest ebb. The visage of economic development as an alibi for
personal gain perceived and pursued as an anti majoritarian tool is exposed,
wonderfully.
The film deals with how people in high places are willing to kill for political
gain. Political muscle flexing is converted into a thriller with real time
implications. A leader opposing the launch of an economic programme is killed.
The man Prof Ahmadi (Prosonjeet Chaterjee) – with suggestive warts is a victim
of an accident. Is it an accident or a high level design? That is the route the
script travels. Caught in the journey are the key players: a high ranking officer
Krishnan (Abhay Deol) called in to conduct “an enquiry”, but a victim to powers
that seek to doctor the truth; a fighting spirited non Indian Shalini Sahai
(Kalki Koelchin) who seeks to expose the dagger hidden in the coat and prove
that the accident was a self serving design; a photographer Jogi (Emraan Hasmi)
who by accident is caught in the cobweb; political bigwigs including the Chief
Minister (Supriya Pathak), a political fixer (Farooq Shaikh) who uses his power
and proximity to advantage, and the killer driver ( Anant Jogi). Shown in true
colour in the context of the times we live in is the strength of the script,
narration, and the wealth of the film. Confused at times, tardy in pace and
inconsistent in degree of examination, may be the shortcomings in the film.
In contrast, the grip and the willingness to reflect the real if gory without
any window dressing, with raw honesty (read appeal) is what makes the film not
just worth watching but compellingly effective and warranting a place of pride.
Miss the film at your own peril. It marks a watershed in our cinema, for
honesty not just at the level of the script, but includes, the work of the
camera, the translation by the prime players and the unabashed willingness of a
young director to take on the primary ailment of a country of which we proudly
say: Bharat mata ki Jai but in reality reduce it to a mere slogan.
Take a bow, our cinema is moving towards not just an intellectual space but
doing so with a rare degree of honesty. A classic you will miss at your peril.
This is a new if savouring experience and a definite statement of the class
that Dibakar Banerjee had hitherto promised.
L. Ravichander