Whenever you feel that Hindi films are going to dogs, we get to see a movie which inspires confidence and hope. Hope is a good thing to have. It is the only thing that can keep you alive and kicking when you have lost everything else. To some extent this is one of the messages that comes out of this movie.
This movie is a journey into the souls of four different characters and by the time the journey is complete, one is truly surprised with the number of possibilities. The story begins with three separate incidents which result in three men, strangers to each other, convicted and sentenced to death. Jackie accepts the sentence and waits for his execution with open arms because he believes he was responsible for the incident. He is a good cook and enjoys writing english poetry. Jackie is the only friend for Nagesh in the prison, he likes Jackie’s cooking and listens to his poetry but he does not understands much of it. Nagesh believes that he is innocent and truth will reign in the end. Naseer is a smooth talking small time crook who is always looking of ways to escape. He has a backup plan for everything and he has a record of escaping from the law. He feels that the incident was an accident and totally un-intended but he has no regret. Juhi is a reporter who is desperately looking for a story. She decides to make a documentary on the three prisoners who are facing the death penalty. She has a bad personal life which she is trying to escape from.
What happens next forms the rest of the movie. It is a very well made small budget movie with a good script, strong screen play and direction. There are no evil guards or jailors, no songs, no bollywood cliches. The movie is about 2 hours long but I felt that it could have been 10 minutes shorter. The movie has been shot in a real prison so the atmosphere is authentic and characters look real. There are a couple of bold scenes in the movie which has been picturized with dignity. One involving homosexuality in prisons and another involving Juhi’s comment on her husbands sexual incapability.
You get to see shades of Stephen King’s ’’The Shawshanks Redemption’’ in Teen Deewarein. ’’The Shawshanks Redemption’’ is an amazing movie about the triumph of human spirit.
The characters: -
Jackie Shroff: Adequate but could be better. His character was not fully developed.
Nagesh: Good job! Plays his part well and his Hyderabadi accent matched his role.
Naseeruddin Shah: The best of the lot, both in terms of acting and screen time.
Juhi Chawla: Juhi is back after a while and she is adequate and iot is good to see her do a role matching her age and talent.
Gulshan Grover: A good guy for a change. He plays the role of the Jailor who believes that prison is a house of correction.
Watch out for the ending! What is shown is just one possible ending. What remains unsaid is full of possibilities.
Well done Nagesh! Thanks for making a good movie. I hope such movies are appreciated in box-office too.