SARDAR UDHAM REVIEW

The reason for my 5-month long hiatus from reviewing films is a concoction of 5% adjusting to new life changes, 10% laziness and 85% declining quality of hindi films. I thought this period would get extended by many more months after I watched Shiddat last week - an atrocious, mind numbing film whose story was probably picked up straight out of the trash can of a writer in the 80’s. Nevertheless, I was still sanguine about Sardar Udham because of the rich portfolio of the makers associated with it. The good news is that not only did the film surpass my expectations, it also can claim to be one of the best biopics ever made in the country. While one Kaushal brother tried to save the dignity of one film (Sunny Kaushal’s performance was the only redeeming quality of Shiddat), the other (Vicky Kaushal) has saved the dignity of the entire industry. Well done boys!

 

Just a few minutes into Sardar Udham, it becomes quite evident that the filmmaking on display is first rate. Director Shoojit Sircar, who helmed some of the best films of the previous decade (except Gulabo Sitabo, every film of his is a gem), wastes no time in feeding us with backstories, gratuitous caricatures and/or unsolicited joingoism, all of which have at some point or the other plagued so many other films of this genre in the past. Here, he chooses to tell a rather complex story in an honest, unadulterated fashion which keeps us invested in the plot and the characters throughout even during some unconvincing bits, especially in the middle portions of this justifiably long film. Sircar strikes real gold not when he is following the dense plotting to assassinate the perpetrator of the globally infamous Jallianwala Bagh massacre, but instead when he taps into the emotional energy of the characters by giving us a tour into their heads to see what drives them and what leads them to do what they do. As a result, the film is more of a stripped down character study with a deliberately meditative pace that allows us to meet Udham Singh in person. In fact, without giving away too much, I must say that the last one hour or so of the film is so masterfully directed and exquisitely shot that I wish you good luck in holding back your tears. A huge shout out also co-writers Ritesh Shah and Shubhendu Bhattacharya who weave together plenty of tense moments in a well researched but shrewd screenplay despite minimum available information on this part of our history.

It is a well known fact that the central role was originally meant to be essayed by Irrfan Khan. While there is no doubt about the additional depth he would have brought to the character, Vicky Kaushal handsomely rises to the occassion and delivers a performance that would be remembered for years to come. He oozes a natural charm and inherent believability that helps establish an instant connection with his character.

I am going with a solid 4/5 and two big thumb up for for Sardar Udham. The British government has yet to offer an official apology for all the deaths in the 1919 tragedy. Meanwhile, the Indian filmmakers who resort to repetitive stories and lazy remakes also ought to apologize for their actions and take lessons from this film. Despite his varied filmography and story landscapes, the only repetition which Shoojit Sircar can be accused of is melting our hearts each time with his keenly observed and sure-footed direction. And I forgive him for that :D. Do yourself a favour and watch the film right away!

MEEL PATTHAR MOVIE REVIEW

Blurring the lines between cinema and reality, Meel Patthar offers an unflinching portrayal of a marginalized section of the society 

Every scene of Meel Patthar is lovingly crafted. Typically, a conversation in a scene is designed to convey a great deal of information about the world that is being studied but at the same time to hold back enough so as to sustain a sense of equivocacy that looms large over the film. It is this distinctive style of unobtrusive filmmaking adopted by director Ivan Ayr which is particularly engrossing.

Ivan Ayr, who helmed one of my favorite films of 2018 Soni, tries to capture the essence of the daily life of a truck driver by populating it with flesh and blood actors who walk and talk as if they are unaware of the presence of a camera around them, conversations that are instantly relatable and long single takes which allow you to soak yourself in the scene.  

(Read my review of Soni here: https://filmistaanreviews.blogspot.com/2019/01/soni-movie-review.html)

Meel Patthar is a well-researched film. It is quite evident in the casual exchanges between truck drivers, the pertinent problem of agitation of workers used for loading and unloading of material from trucks against the minimum wage, and most importantly in the honest attempt to give the audience a tour inside the head of an individual caught up in the hassles of the profession. Ayr explores themes like the thankless nature of such a job, the inadvertence towards personal health, and the risk of training a newbie only to realize that the goal of this mentorship is to guide them enough to eventually take over from their master. There is a running track around the sudden death of the protagonist’s wife, but Ayr is in no mood for spoon-feeding us with a backstory and instead imbues the script with a mysterious aura around characters whom we don’t see but are still immensely curious about.

Perhaps, my only problem with the film is that it lacked an uber goal. I understand the fact that it’s not plot-driven, but given that the film dealt with multiple relevant societal issues, it could have further benefitted from anchoring the script in one of these themes which ultimately could take the shape of its true identity. Take the example of Soni. That film was an evocative commentary on the state of the police ecosystem in Delhi but gender bias served as the primary medium for Ayr to express his views on other components of the system. However, to give the director his due, I guess in this film, his agenda was to reinforce the irony of constantly travelling but not getting anywhere in this process.

I am going with 3.5/5 for Meel Patthar. You can watch it on Netflix. Just two films old, Ivan Ayr has silently made his way into the list of directors whose work I eagerly look forward to. I am not sure if this is everyone’s cup of tea but I still recommend you give it a chance. How often can we boast of making a film that stays true to its art form and yet remain gripping in its own charming way?