FILM REVIEW SACHIN CHATTE

Bold and  Hard Hitting

 

Film: Juze (Konkani with English subtitles)

Cast: Rushikesh Naik, Sudesh Bhise, Prashanti Talpankar, Barkha Naik

Directed by: Miransha Naik

Duration: 1 hr 32 mins

Rating: * * * *

Usually when one writes about regional cinema, particularly Konkani cinema, one has to use a different yardstick to evaluate it, since the industry is still in a relatively nascent stage – there are budgetary and other constraints that don’t quite match up to the other peers. But then as film makers around the globe have proved time and again, you don’t necessarily need all that to tell an engrossing story.

I’m delighted to report that Miransha Naik’s debut feature Juze rises above everything and is worthy of standing on its own, in any class of cinema. It is a gutsy film that is a telling tale and a hard hitting social commentary about migrants and exploitation. While the core of the story of a landlord exploiting the locals has been told from time to time (Shyam Benegal’s Ankur(1974) springs to mind instantly), the manner in which Miransha tells the story is impressive.

There are no theatrics, no loud background music, no over the top acting and no stating the obvious – but yet the young film maker ensures that the strong undercurrent is felt in just about every scene.

Set in the 90’s, there are two main protagonists here – Juze (Sudesh Bhise) the local landlord who is more of a thug, dominating the people around him, mostly migrants. He makes people work for him, doesn’t pay them well and treats them like dirt. On the other hand there is Santosh (Rushikesh Naik) a teenager who lives with his grandmother (Prashanti Talpankar). He excels in academics but otherwise life is not a bed of roses for him – Juze makes him work in his cashew plantation and the two are often at loggerheads. The young man has a tough time trying to break free from the goon’s web.

Add to it, Santosh also provides favours of the unexpected kind to Juze’s wife (Gauri Kamat) while he harbours ‘feelings’ for his classmate (Barkha Naik). As the film shows, exploitation happens in all forms, sexual is just one of them and in this case, it is not the gender that one usually associates it with.

The manner in which the story is told, because there are no close ups or dramatics, you remain an observer of the proceedings yet you feel the silent rage that is simmering.

While most of our films spoon feed you with what is happening, Juze compels you to join the dots, in fact you understand some of the scenes in retrospect. The editing by Siddesh Naik and Suzana Pedro is razor sharp and Abhiraj Rawale’s camerawork relies on some deft tracking shots.

Of the cast, this is one of the best local ensembles we have seen in Konkani cinema – Sudesh Bhise as Juze lets his frame and voice dominate the scene. Prashanti Talpankar as the concerned grandmother and Barkha Naik as the classmate are aptly cast. For a teenager, Rushikesh Naik holds fort admirably in his role.

All in all, Juze makes for some compelling viewing.

 

Stumped!

Film: 102 Not Out

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor

Directed by: Umesh Shukla

Duration: 1 hr 50 mins

Rating: * * 1 / 2

Director Umesh Shukla’s latest film 102 Not Out is based on a Gujarati play of the same name. Unfortunately, throughout the film, it is never able to brush away the fact that it is derived from a play. Mostly indoor scenes (well lit and well decorated), plenty of dialogues and a tale that is best suited for a play, or a short story, it all gets a bit laborious as a film.

It is hard not to like the characters though, primarily because they are played by father son duo played by Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor respectively. The senior gent Dattatreya is 102, he is still going strong and aiming for the world record. He is as lively as an IPL cheerleader while the son has as much zest as an IPL administrator, on a TV screen.

For some reason, he wants to send his 75-year-old son Babulal to an old age home. After bickering about why and how, the father decides to give his son a set of challenges to complete which involves writing a letter to his late wife- which is rather funny but the rest of it is mundane. Babulal has a son who is far from perfect and the centenarian wants to make a point about that too. The only other character on the scene is the young guy from the neighborhood who is caught in the crossfire.

On the whole, it strives too hard to give a message even though it doesn’t stray from the core story – practically every scene has one of the elderly gents. It is also heartening to see a film that is made with senior citizens in the lead role; that is something as rare as Hailey comets appearance.

 

The Killing Fields

Film: Omerta

Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Timothy Ryan Hickernell

Directed by: Hansal Mehta

Duration: 1 hr 50 mins

Rating: * * *

This is the fourth collaboration between Hansal Mehta and Rajkummar Rao after Shahid (2013), Citylights (2014) and Aligarh (2015) and the director and actor seem to be very much in sync as is affirmed by Omerta, the story of the dreaded terrorist Omar Saeed Sheikh. It is always a tightrope when the primary character is an antagonist and that too, a real life one, but Mehta manages to get the act right.

This is more of a clinical story telling about this well educated terrorist who grew up in Britain with roots in Pakistan. Rajkummar Rao plays the role with an intimidating presence. The story keeps going back and forth, not too often, where we are told of how he got radicalised. It started with the killings of Muslims in Bosnia where Omar offers support to help them. What starts off as a human cause, turns into a human travesty. Circa, 1994, with a fake identity to boot, he kidnapped some foreigners in Delhi only to be caught by the Delhi police. In 1999, he was one of the three terrorists to be released after the Kandahar hijacking. Omar became even more notorious after he was involved in the 9/11 attacks and the killing of Daniel Pearl.

The film picks up pace as it progresses – we get a very brief insight of what made the man tick. His father tries to bring him back on track from the strayed path but to no avail.

Mehta doesn’t sympathise with his character yet the reasons for his radicalisation are made clear. Rajkummar Rao is in top form and continues to impress with every role that he plays.

When you consider that Omar was a student of economics in London and ended up slashing the throat of a journalist, he came a long way – but in the wrong direction.

On Moral Grounds

Film: Cycle (Marathi)

Cast: Hrishikesh Joshi, Bhalchandra Kadam, Priyadarshan Jadhav

Directed by: Prakash Kunte

Duration: 1 hr 50 mins

Rating: * * *

Director Prakash Kunte’s Cycle appears to be a simplistic story but there is a moral behind it, a strong and relevant one. Kunte’s previous films were romantic comedies but this one is a departure – the good natured element though remains in this period film.

The film is set post independence in a village along the Konkan coast. Keshav (Hrishikesh Joshi) is the owner of the cycle in question and an astrologer by profession. The cycle is something that he dearly cares for because it belongs to his forefathers. For him, the cycle is not just two wheels connected by metal rods, it means so much more than that, and it’s a legacy that he is preserving.

Two small time crooks (Bhalchandra Kadam and Priyadarshan Jadhav) steal the cycle causing heartbreak not just to Keshav but his family and friends as well. He sets out on a quest to find his cycle and there are clues along the way, a villager or someone else sees the crooks with the cycle but it remains a case of so near yet so far in most cases.

But what happens in the process of the search for his prized possession is more important than the search itself. Written by Aditi Moghe the characters are very well etched, there are no bad guys here even though they may do things that hurt others.

At some point you realise that it is not about the cycle – that is just an object used to make a larger point about being kind and nice and Kunte pulls it off remarkably well.