Review : Antardwand

Antardwand

Director : Sushil Rajpal

Writing Credits : Amitabh Varma

Music : Bapi-Tutul

Cast : Raj Singh Chaudhary, Swati Sen, Vinay Pathak, Akhilendra Mishra, Himanshi, Jaya Bhattacharya

What goes for the film : A realistic depiction of a much neglected social issue.

What goes against the audience : Some terribly bad acting and inconsistent writing.

Cinemaa Opinion : An important film despite its flaws. Scroll down for a detailed review

Power flows through the barrel of a gun

The past weekend saw five new releases in Hindi, of which only four could make it to the theatres in Pune (Soch Lo being left out). A National award winner from three years ago and another smaller film released alongwith the relatively bigger Aashayein and the sleazefest Hello Darling. I refused to watch Hello Darling after the show I’d booked myself for got cancelled. I watched Aashayein thiking every moment why even that show didn’t get cancelled. Another thought that occupied my mind was why the only convenient theatre screening the two smaller films (the other one was 45km away) had to schedule only one show each for the two, and that too overlapping. The FTII-FWA seminar and a personal tragedy intervened and I could catch Antardwand only yesterday. Sadly, Madholal Keep Walking, the other small film couldn’t survive beyond the weekend. Rant done, let me get on to the film now.

Antardwand, set in Bihar of the 80′s, dares to highlight a shocking social evil prevalent in the state. Groom abduction and forced marriages. An evil that not only consumes the couple and its family/friends, but also eats up into our social fabric that’s already coming apart with the conflicts raging within. It does so in disturbing fashion, making us cringe at the moral depravity in a land where power flows through the barrel of a gun. Raghuveer (Raj Singh Chaudhary) is an IAS aspirant studying in Delhi. He has a long standing affair with Siya (Himanshi), who is also carrying his child. Raghuveer’s father Madhukar Shahi (Vinay Pathak) is against the alliance and is trying to find a match for his son on his own. One prospect that comes along his way is Janki (Swati Sen), the daughter of Mahender (Akhilendra Mishra). Things however don’t work out favourably and Mahender, in a fit of rage, gets Raghuveer kidnapped and then forcibly married to Janki.

This is like two films in one. Conjoined twins that are as different as chalk and cheese. On one hand is a measured comment on the social realities of Bihar and on the other, its a montage of bad acting and inconsistent writing. Cinematographer Sushil Rajpal helms this film with his heart in the right place, but the film falters slightly at the execution.

The depiction of the events, based on a true story, are fairly realistic from a macro view. The cinematography, art direction and the fine detailing are the strongest points of the film, bringing a unique character to it and presenting a stark image of small town and rural Bihar. The costumes and dialogues are rooted in context and that’s a rare pleasure in these days. Also commendable is the depth and perspective Rajpal brings to the subject by touching upon a larger gamut of issues that arise out of the frightening confluence of the fuedal and patriarchal systems ruling the roost in the state. The status of women, a matter for concern, is shown from 3 different angles – that of Janki, her sister-in-law and her mother. The three women represent different generations and the similarities and differences in their social status is shown with reasonable success in the film.

Rajpal handles the core subject of his film with great insight. Antardwand tracks the roots of the evil to the fuedal bigwigs intoxicated with the power they weild within their limited spheres of influence. They think themselves to be above the law and take it as a matter of right to do anything they wish. The plight of the couple, rendered helpless in the larger scheme of things, is portrayed effectively in the claustrophobic settings of a closed room and a closed household. The transformation in Mahender, as his initial bravado subsides, is palpable, yet his ego prevents him from owning up, as the film depicts in no uncertain terms. The attribution of the malaise to the ego and vanity of the power-crazed elite is spot on and unadulterated. The ultimate rut that the rash and arrogant actions lead to is highly disturbing and brings a shudder within.

Where the film primarily falters is the terrible acting by the lead actors. The film deserved far better actors than the static-expression weilding Raj Singh Chaudhary and the stone-eyed Swati Sen. Though the veterans Vinay Pathak and Akhilendra Mishra as well as the actress playing Janki’s mother are superb, the rest of the supporting cast isn’t very impressive. Jaya Bhattacharya as Janki’s sister-in-law has an irritating put-on Bihari accent. The actor playing Janki’s brother wastes a grey character with monotonous huffy-puffy histrionics. Added to the bad acting are some tacky and pedestrian dialogues in a few key scenes. And the film ends with a bolt from the blue. A sudden change of character in Janki happens abruptly and seemingly, only to justify the climax. And completing the balancing act is the jarring and loud background score.

End of the day, in spite of all its flaws, Antardwand is an important film. It highlights a neglected social issue amd does so with depth and insight. The real travesty lies with our exhibition structures, which write off such films without so much as even a half-chance and leave them to die a quick, inevitable and rather painful death.