Finally.
Nagesh Kukunoor has been a great disappointment to me personally. Can I post that on a community web site? Of course, I can. That’s the whole idea of a community, n’est-ce pas?
But let us not digress.
Kukunoor is a sensitive filmmaker. We have seen ample proof of that with his handling of his earlier films. Be it Hyderabad Blues, Rockford and even Bollywood Calling his ideas were fresh, novel and even interesting.
All of them started off beautifully, some maintained the tempo till reel 12, but almost all failed at the end. With the sole exception of say Rockford, the others had very, very cliched or tame endings. It’s almost as if he lost count of what he was saying, and suddenly decided to let go of all the strings at once.
3 Deewarein is better that way. Simply because we all assume an end. 3 prisoners on the death row. Ho-hum! What can we possibly expect?
A lot apparently.
Naseeruddin Shah, Jackie and Nagesh Kukunoor as the three convicts stand out with their sensitive portrayals.
Juhi as the the filmmaker, who they open their heart out to, looks fresh, intelligent and exudes a softness that seems surreal amidst the morbid surroundings. She makes us sit up and take notice and you don’t want to miss a word of what she’s saying.
(When was the last time you took time out to actually hear what an Aishwarya was saying, eh?)
The film weaves around these 3 convicts who talk. No dramatics, no overtly emotional mothers in hasty flashbacks, no little sisters raped by village thakurs. Contemporary, is what makes it believable. Believable is what gives you the creeps.
Nagesh himself is wooden, but that is his style. He comes across as an honest actor who is unaware of the camera, but quite, quite engrossed in a character that we just might come across in our daily lives.
All in all a sensitive issue, tackled brilliantly. The camera remains your unnamed character throughout the film. Go watch it.
Missing it, would not be sacrilege, but would definitely be a personal loss.