I am a huge fan of the crime fiction genre, whether in print, or on film.
While the last few years have witnessed an overload of cop and
underworld films, I doubt how much of crime fiction-telling we’ve done
as an industry. I can’t quite dish out a list right here, right now,
but I don’t think we’re masters of the genre. In such an industry,
Sriram Raghavan (writer / director JG and Ek Hasina Thi - a telling
film) is an exception, in talent and more so in his body of work. He
was also involved with the TV show CID since its inception and while it
hit big with the TRPs. He, for sure is a die hard fan of the genre, and
a master story-teller (from what I’ve heard and read about him).
Now
before we come to the film, let me put on record the fact that THIS is
NOT a review. These are purely my feelings after watching the film.
It’s more an emotional vent than a rational analysis of the film, so
please excuse me to that extent.
The film started off in the way
a ’con gone wrong’ film is supposed to start. The con is laid out for
us, so are the players. That is where my interest lay. Who’s playing,
and how are they playing? The group dynamics are well laid out, the
controller (Dharam paaji, beyond even the acceptable now... ab bass
paaji), the tiff-makers (an interesting combo of Zakir and Vinay), the
brute (Daya Shetty from CID) and the brat, introducing, Neil Nitin
Mukesh Mathur (I’ve read various combinations of his name in various
articles, sab milake itna banta hai), in what could have well been his
dream debut. He delivers in parts, doesn’t in others with the balance
tilted more towards doesn’t. However, it’s a good start, nevertheless.
Neil is also, by the sly, in ’love’ with Zakir’s wife played by Rimmi
Sen. You might be thinking that’s not a good idea for two guys who are
part of the same gang, and you’re right. Further, we go.
From
the outset, Rimmi is on Neil’s case to upp and leave, both his
’business’ and the country. That’s the single motivation for Neil aka
Vikram aka Johnny Gaddar to walk down the ’dark path’ as Dharam Paaji
says, and light the trail of crime and punishment (I borrow that phrase
from Bhavani Iyer’s article on the film on pfc, and Mayank’s review in
the paper today).
The film is supposedly Sriram’s tribute to the
genre and his inspirations. In accordance, we see references of Johnny
Mera Naam and Parwana, and a novel by James Hadley Chase. The film
itself seems to flit between scratchy production design, coupled with
careless lighting, and at other times, moody ambience and lighting and
a rare craftily executed physical combat sequence. The scratchy parts
hurt the film’s mood and rhythm.
Some of Sriram’s recent
inspirations, namely Shakti, Parinda, Ghayal and Satya are all films
about characters, not about the crime. Likewise, JG in its form, is
about its characters. It is a con gone wrong yes, but the film is more
about the effects of that wrong, than the con itself. Hence, the film
seems to be flawed in its form (from my recent and limited
understanding of these concepts). I wished in retrospective that Sriram
had brought us closer to the other characters because when they start
falling, you don’t start caring. That I thought, is where the film fell
short. What kept me plugged in was that midway, I realised that was
where the film was headed and then re-tuned myself to watch it with
that perspective.
Every character has a back story mind you. The
problem was that it seemed to me like those stories were card boarded,
rather than cemented. Dharam Paaji with the tape of his deceased wife’s
rendition of ’Mora Gora Ang Lai Le’, Daya with a mother suffering from
Alzheimer’s and in the course of his frequent visits to have pataoed
the nurse, Zakir with his questionable marriage to Rimmi and his
obsession with Vinay’s gambling den property, and finally, the most
rounded of all characters, Vinay with his beauty parlor chalane-wali
wife (that’s the second in 2 back to back released films mind you, Gul
Panag does the same in Manorama SFU) played with great charm and
affection here by Ashwini Kalsekar (again from CID, and more recently
from Siddhant). Even Vikram’s story is rather flimsy. He is in love
with Rimmi, though that love hardly manifests itself in anything except
her constant persistence to get out, and his constant insistence that
he can’t quite yet. There again, the film loses some points. Maybe it’s
the expectations from the man that don’t quite relent, or the lack of
substance that doesn’t quite elevate itself to its maker.
I
won’t get into the actual chapters of the film. It would be a killer to
read about it here. A thriller is supposed to reveal
as little of itself anywhere except in the actual film.
In it’s philosophy, the film is bang on. On the path
of crime, layers of betrayal, treachery, malice whether voluntary or
involuntary, and then the need for redemption are so intricately
interwoven that it is only the punishment of the crime itself that can
peel the layers off, and in its aftermath leave behind the core of
human nature: the inexplicable want.
With every new film I
watch, I wonder how many people are able to actually see the film in
its finished form right at the beginning. Diagnosis is always easier
than prognosis, no doubt. However, these are people at the top of the
profession, if they can’t do it, who will?
I’ve waited for more
than a month for this film to hit the screen. While at some level, all
that anticipation and great expectations from JG and more so Raghavan,
dampened the ultimate experience, the film did fall short of delivery
even otherwise. Yet, I look forward to Sriram’s next. If he can’t do
it, even RAJINI KANT! :) Come onnnnn Sriram... !!!