Splendid, Superb, Stupendous, Mind Blowing, Simply Marvelous........NO, NO..I am not learning adjectives but these is what I said when I saw the movie. Nagesh Kukunoor has been my favourite for light hearted films like Hyderabad Blues, Rockford and Bollywood Calling but I think now he has matured as a film maker and can make some good films.
The movie 3 Deewarien ( 3 Walls) though a very unique title is very aptly titled. The movie starts with the short glimpses of 3 people, Nagya, Jaggu and Ishan, what they did and how they ended up in the Jail waiting for their death.
Nagya ( Nagesh Kukunoor), a Hyderabadi, is convicted because he is said to have killed his wife. Though he believes in one phrase ’’Satyamev Jeyete’’ ( Truth triumphs) and is waiting in hope that he will be proved innocent and he can go back to the world.
Jaggu ( Jakie Shroff), a lawyer, convicted to killing his wife in cold blood has lost all hopes and want death to bring peace to his life. Though he wants to die but he is not pessimistic in attitude and writes poems which show life as new beginning.
Ishan ( Naseeruddin Shah), the hardcore crook, is sentenced to death for killing a pregnant lady while robbing a bank. He is always on lookout for escaping the prison as he loves to be in the outside world.
Chandrika ( Juhi Chawla), Film maker, she is a small time film maker who comes to the jail to make a documentary on the death convicts as to what they feel waiting for their death sentences to be executed and how they feel after taking out a life. She has a story of her own in her troubled marriage.
Chandrika manages to get permission to interact with the convicts from soft but idealistic jailor Mohan (Gulshan Grover), who believes in generating his own funds and utilising it for the benefit of the prisoners.
The individual stories of each convict start to roll out as Chandrika keeps asking them questions and capturing it on her video. Nagya is forced to admit that he has killed his wife by police as his wife was daughter of the Judge who wants to see him hanged. Nagya has not lost hope and wants Chandrika to show his tapes to higher authorities and help him to prove himself innocent. Jaggu loves cooking for the prisoners and is happy with his poems waiting for his death sentence to be executed. He loves his wife and has killed her. Ishan, always planning to escape his death by escaping the jail is the humour relief in the film. He is a fine arts student so he acts through out the film.
The one string which changes the life of all the convicts is Chandrika who has her own past haunting her and a troubled marriage which she wants to come out.
The editing is very good, particularly when all the convicts are telling their stories to Chandrika. Cinematography is fairly okay and background score is going along with the film. Finally to say it all the story is superb.