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A Death in the Gunj (2016)
Arguably best bollywood movie of 2017!
'A death in the Gunj' as the name suggests opens with a murder mystery. It could be anybody. We, as a viewers, are intrigued from the word go. Then, we are taken into a flash back and story unfolds from there, a week earlier.
Set in 1978's McCluskieganj, a town which had certainly seen better days probably in British era and it is a home to Anglo Indian families. The movie revolves around Bengali family, who are in for an year end vacation in the town, where they spend their time with parents OP (Om Puri) and Anupama (Tanuja). The movie has its own pace and introduces each character in detail. There is bossy Nandu played by Gulshan Devaiah and his wife Bonnie played by Tillottama Shome. They have daughter Tani (Arya Sharma) and Nandu's brother Shutu (Vikrant Massey). And then there are family friends: hot headed Vikram (Ranvir Shorey), charming and seductive Mimi (Kalki Koechlin) and Brian (Jimmy Sarbh).
We see darker side of this family unfold through Shutu. Shutu is a kind of person who exists in almost every family. Shy, introverted and often ridiculed for not being same as others. He wants to be a part of them but often ends up being a distant spectator. They take him sometimes, but he is hurled with insults, punches, either directly or indirectly. May be that is why, he finds happiness in solitude or in company of his niece Tani. They have their own innocent world. Vikrant Massey is a revelation in this role of Shutu. He brilliantly portrays vulnerabilities and intricacies of Shutu without speaking much. He has played smaller roles before but this is the big break actor dreams for. Hopefully, this is just the beginning for him.
Konkona SenSharma makes impressive debut with this gem of a film. She unravels the sentiment of bullying and gives us a layered film with strong characters. You can't ask for better ensemble then that. 'A death in the Gunj' has everything, a family drama, betrayal, thriller. The movie and Shutu will remain with you for a long time because of its unmistaken simplicity. Arguably, the best Indian film of the year so far.
Chauthi Koot (2015)
A nice little film!
You'll come across many movies made on troubled Punjab of 1980s. Khalistani movement. Rise of Bhindranwale. Operation Bluestar. Fallout resulting in Killing of Indira Gandhi. And then the riots. Chauthi Koot, directed by Gurvinder Singh, refrains from giving you any historical recount of that era or for that matter taking sides but it gives human touch to the sufferings of the people caught in a dreaded atmosphere of fear.
The movie is based on the short stories 'The Fourth Direction' and 'I am feeling fine now' from author Waryam Singh Sandhu's collection 'Chauthi Koot'. Set around mid 1980's, in a Punjab caught between Khalistani militants and Indian armed forces battling them. Plot revolves around two stories, one in which militant diktat asking a family to keep their dog quiet at night and other is about two Hindu friends illegally boarding near empty train to Amritsar. The two narratives are effortlessly weaved together to give us a beautiful piece of cinema.
Amidst the clear battle lines drawn between the militants and armed forces, there were the common people who were afraid to side with either of them in fear of their life. In 'Chauthi Koot', Gurvinder Singh authentically recreates the atmosphere of fear through these two stories.
There is a family headed by Joginder who love their dog Tommy but are also afraid that he may be the reason for their killings at the hands of militants. At night,militants take refuge in the village and they don't want barking dogs to alert security forces about their presence. Story unfolds at an unhurried pace and you are completely engrossed into it. We feel helplessly for the innocent family and root for their survival. Joginder has option to turn into a militant, kill his dog but he is not ready to trade his humanity over fear. In the growing tension between Hindus and Sikhs over Operation Bluestar, he safely escorts a Hindu family, who had lost their way, to their village at night hours. Humanity wins for the moment. At the end, a thought lingers on to your mind, be it war, militancy or calamity, it is the common man who has to bear all the sufferings.
This film was screened at the Cannes and also won Best Punjabi Film at Nationa Awards. Kudos to the director Gurvinder Singh for intricate handling of such a sensitive subject. A must watch movie!
Lipstick Under My Burkha (2016)
Bold and Beautiful!
Sometimes, controversies surrounding movies just before their release help them at the box office. Same thing can be said with 'Lipstick under my Burkha'. For small movie like this, it turns out to be blessing in disguise. CBFC chief had asked for a ban on it for being 'lady oriented' but makers of the film stood by their baby, fought the battle in the court and emerged strong and victorious.
'Lipstick under my Burkha' is a story of four women's from different stages of life set in a old town of Bhopal which is on cusp of becoming a modern city. First is a college going teenager Rehana Abidi (Plabita Borthakar). She comes across from a highly conservative family and wants to be like Miley Cyrus. She wants to wear jeans, hang out with pals, go for late night parties. Her family business involves selling of Burkhas. After college, she has to help their parents with stitching Burkhas. Under the guise of burkha, she lives completely different life. She goes to college wearing burkha and changes into a jeans and top. She shoplifts clothes which she otherwise can't wear. Ironically, there is freedom to do whatever she wants. Second is a Leela (Ahana Kumra) who is in her adulthood and not afraid to flaunt her sexuality. Quite often she indulges in sexual encounters with her photographer friend with whom she dreams about going to Delhi and starting a wedding planning business. Her mother forcefully fixes her into an arranged marriage. Third is a middle aged Shireen (Konkona SenSharma). Her Saudi return patriarch husband (Sushant Singh) forces himself on her against her wish. She is a part time salesgirl without her husband knowing it. But she can't sell the idea of using condom to him and takes loads of contraceptive pills in fear of getting pregnant again. She wants to be independent, contribute to their family income. And then comes the Buaji (Ratna Pathak Shah) who is a matriarch and has to hide all her desires. Under the religious books she reads erotic pulp fiction and fantasizes about her desires. Being from a sanskari family, She has to live dignified life and her desires have no place in it. A man of her age can think about getting married again but for her it's a crime. She goes to swimming classes to be touched by a young muscular man with whom she even engages in phone sex. All these narratives are bind-ed by a story from the erotic pulp fiction which we hear in the background. They are not necessarily connected to each other but the background narration gives it a unified approach. These are relatable characters around us and we feel anguished for them. Burkha is used metaphorically to depict the oppression and Lipstick is their desires.
Director Alankrita Srivastava boldly explores fantasies, sexuality and desires of women without being apologetic. She doesn't try to be preachy and then there are moments of subtle humour as well. She succeeds in showing finger to the society through 'Lipstick under my Burkha'. For India, still living in 20th century, this movie is ahead of the times. This might give cultural shock to sanskari people but a must watch for others. There is one dialogue which nicely sums up this movie: 'Why you are so frightened by our independence?'