Kudos to Ajay Devgn for deciding to distribute this; otherwise, it was apparently lying in the cans for a bit.
Watching the trailer made me expect something like the Bollywood version of Ridley Scott's iconic nouveau cult-classic, 'Thelma & Louise', & while the main titles kinda resembled that, the tale thereafter, stays grounded, & rooted in 1/2 locations in close proximity. A road movie this is not. I confess I was disappointed initially, but the material is strong enough for me to overcome that initial sense of having felt let down.
The characters though, on paper, are caricatures of what one would expect in such a milieu, & it's a testament to the writing & directing talent of both Leena Yadav & Supratik Sen, that the content (along with the performances) rise above the predictability inherent in the material. While is this a move up or sorts for Leena, this is a major step-down, imho, for Supratik, whose 'Kaminey' & 'Kai Po Che' (from all accounts) were much superior, from both a writing & structural standpoint, when compared to this one.
Many are calling this Apte's best performance to-date, & from my understanding, she, apparently has the toughest role. I have to disagree, since that would make light of what the writing/directing team were trying to accomplish (and, in my opinion, have pulled off). Which is, ensuring that all the 3 main leads are given plum roles, casting strong actresses in each of those roles, & ensuring they perform to the best of their respective ability. Tannishtta Chatterjee, Radhika Apte, Suveen Chawla, and, in my own perception, Lehar Khan, have been perfectly cast in characters that challenge their abilities, & each one of them has risen to the occasion, performing magnificently, both on their own, and, this is very important, while playing off each other's performances.
Each & every scene where each of these characters is in the company of 1/more of the other, is a treat to behold, from observing great thespians interact. This is one of the best ensembles assembled, in recent memory.
Surveen Chawla, as one third of the leads, has been typecast in her role, but is fantastic, to stay the least. She needs to display various layers in her performance, evolving/devolving over time & events, & is more than up to the task. This, to her, is definitely as companion-piece to her performance in Anurag Kashyap's masterpiece, 'Ugly'.
Performance-wise, I also felt that there were strong supporting turns from Nancy Nisa Beso, Sumeet Vyas, Sayani Gupta (her post panchayat sequence is gut-wrenching, not just because of what is said, but from the look her characters gets from her previously- skeptical mother), Mahesh Balraj, Chandan Anand, Devendra & Daddi Pandey.
Adil Hussain, on the other hand, seemed miscast to me, though the sequence he's a part of is beautiful (though the local censors have had their way with it, & many other sequences), though it actually ought to be creepy & weird as hell.
This definitely makes for a stronger entry on writer/director Leena Yadav's résumé, compared to her earlier works, 'Shabd' & 'Teen Patti' (21). In fact, it might be a little unfair to compare this work to her earlier works, since this is perhaps miles ahead of either of those, deeper, & richer, not just in terms of content, but also in terms of characterization.
The cinematography by Russell Carpenter (Ant-man, 21 - on which Leena's 'Teen Patti' was based, Titanic, True Lies, The Negotiator, Hard Target ) captures the on-location choices & work magnificently, & I've read a few reviews mentioning that his lensing keeps the audience at an arm's length, & that, in my perception, is grossly unfair. I felt caught up on all the action inherent in the flick, even the ones that were calculated to remain clichéed.
The score, courtesy Hitesh Sonik, who also scored the background for great works such as Omkara, Hunterr, Paanch & Kaminey, among others, also is some of the best I've got to listen to in a while.
The climax, & the finale, is mostly wishful thinking, & reminds us that this is a film after all, but, imho, is a much-needed respite from the all-pervasive darkness that inhabits our leading ladies' lives. Dare I hope for a sequel?
No point watching it at the local cinema, though I did. Instead, I'd try watching a version that retained the makers' original vision + execution intact.
Watching the trailer made me expect something like the Bollywood version of Ridley Scott's iconic nouveau cult-classic, 'Thelma & Louise', & while the main titles kinda resembled that, the tale thereafter, stays grounded, & rooted in 1/2 locations in close proximity. A road movie this is not. I confess I was disappointed initially, but the material is strong enough for me to overcome that initial sense of having felt let down.
The characters though, on paper, are caricatures of what one would expect in such a milieu, & it's a testament to the writing & directing talent of both Leena Yadav & Supratik Sen, that the content (along with the performances) rise above the predictability inherent in the material. While is this a move up or sorts for Leena, this is a major step-down, imho, for Supratik, whose 'Kaminey' & 'Kai Po Che' (from all accounts) were much superior, from both a writing & structural standpoint, when compared to this one.
Many are calling this Apte's best performance to-date, & from my understanding, she, apparently has the toughest role. I have to disagree, since that would make light of what the writing/directing team were trying to accomplish (and, in my opinion, have pulled off). Which is, ensuring that all the 3 main leads are given plum roles, casting strong actresses in each of those roles, & ensuring they perform to the best of their respective ability. Tannishtta Chatterjee, Radhika Apte, Suveen Chawla, and, in my own perception, Lehar Khan, have been perfectly cast in characters that challenge their abilities, & each one of them has risen to the occasion, performing magnificently, both on their own, and, this is very important, while playing off each other's performances.
Each & every scene where each of these characters is in the company of 1/more of the other, is a treat to behold, from observing great thespians interact. This is one of the best ensembles assembled, in recent memory.
Surveen Chawla, as one third of the leads, has been typecast in her role, but is fantastic, to stay the least. She needs to display various layers in her performance, evolving/devolving over time & events, & is more than up to the task. This, to her, is definitely as companion-piece to her performance in Anurag Kashyap's masterpiece, 'Ugly'.
Performance-wise, I also felt that there were strong supporting turns from Nancy Nisa Beso, Sumeet Vyas, Sayani Gupta (her post panchayat sequence is gut-wrenching, not just because of what is said, but from the look her characters gets from her previously- skeptical mother), Mahesh Balraj, Chandan Anand, Devendra & Daddi Pandey.
Adil Hussain, on the other hand, seemed miscast to me, though the sequence he's a part of is beautiful (though the local censors have had their way with it, & many other sequences), though it actually ought to be creepy & weird as hell.
This definitely makes for a stronger entry on writer/director Leena Yadav's résumé, compared to her earlier works, 'Shabd' & 'Teen Patti' (21). In fact, it might be a little unfair to compare this work to her earlier works, since this is perhaps miles ahead of either of those, deeper, & richer, not just in terms of content, but also in terms of characterization.
The cinematography by Russell Carpenter (Ant-man, 21 - on which Leena's 'Teen Patti' was based, Titanic, True Lies, The Negotiator, Hard Target ) captures the on-location choices & work magnificently, & I've read a few reviews mentioning that his lensing keeps the audience at an arm's length, & that, in my perception, is grossly unfair. I felt caught up on all the action inherent in the flick, even the ones that were calculated to remain clichéed.
The score, courtesy Hitesh Sonik, who also scored the background for great works such as Omkara, Hunterr, Paanch & Kaminey, among others, also is some of the best I've got to listen to in a while.
The climax, & the finale, is mostly wishful thinking, & reminds us that this is a film after all, but, imho, is a much-needed respite from the all-pervasive darkness that inhabits our leading ladies' lives. Dare I hope for a sequel?
No point watching it at the local cinema, though I did. Instead, I'd try watching a version that retained the makers' original vision + execution intact.