Well what else can be a better way to spend a lousy afternoon in an equally lousy town than watching a flick like this. Of all those(movies) that I missed last year this figured on the top of my watchlist thanks to some of the reviews on MS. I fail to figure out why it bombed on boxoffice but like most underrated critically acclaimed flop movies it has a lot to captivate a sensible, discerning viewer
The Plot The movie takes you to the sleepy mundane little known town in Rajasthan lakhot where an PWD JE satyendra randhawa( Abhay deol) and an amateur author of the worst selling novel Manorama(by his own admission) stays with his wife and four year old son. Like most ordinary mortals bored with life he also carries on indifferently. His failure to become a class Author takes away from him the residual zeal of life .To add to this he gets embroiled in an enquiry over bribery charges in a canal construction project(scam.)
But one day a knock at his door changes it all with the arrival of Manorama(Sarika) self proclaimed wife of Local MLA( kulbhushan Kharbanda) who asks to spy him on his husband’s infidel ways when she says "Kirdar kiraye par nahin liye ja sakte lekin kalakaar."His battered soul sees it as a opportunity to redeem and prove himself. He takes the plunge only to find himself caught in a graver trouble with the mysteriuos death of Manorama and the underlying Secret of her Age 32.
Here onwards starts his ordeal to unveil the layers of deep rooted conspiracies , lies and skin of the hazy fake characters.The movie moves very slowly even after intermission much like a sleepy reticent town but gains pace in the last moments when the truth of Manorama 6 feet under uncovers .it reminded me of the typical O henry Stories with Abrupt End .Despite its sluggish charge it does not go haywire and grips the viewer till the very end .The plots and subplots( the cananl scam, paedophile leader and his illegitimate daughter) are all wound up neatly and convincingly
But the high point of the movie is its apt depiction of a small town which( is often lost to its macho metro cousins in our bollywood flicks) Empty lull Roads, Sprawling Dessert and the lingering silence all symbolic of rustic and slow-paced life
Performances
Abhay Deol once Again Shows his uncanny ability to act a common man like in his earlier movies Socha Na tha And Ahista Ahista. His sublte Transition from snubbed, dejected man to a emboldened and enlightened soul towards the end inspires to fight against” the natural order of the things”. Also his Colloquial Conversations with rurals while Canal investigation, camaraderie with his sala( vinay pathak) and brief bonding with sheetal(Raima sen) impress.
Raima Sen convincingly portrayed the shrewd woman and brief confidante of SV. Looks gorgeous in her loose salwar kamiz and does a fine act in her aquarium watching scene of course the background music helped .
Gul Panag portrays a typical nagging Cribbing Wife whose only concern seems to visit Rohtak And gift The tea set she bought After a lot of Due Diligence. She does try to Act but needs Finesse in Dialogue Delivery
Vinay Pathak He for Sure is the real Gem of the movie with his his brilliant portrayal of jat accented loyal friend, sala and lousy police walah. His Sarcastic quickies and booze sessions with SV give comic relief to the movie
Sarika is good as a polished, ostentatious and selfish Activist.
Music is minimal and barely needed, dialogues are brief, satirical, spaced up with silent interludes, symbolic and a little badmouthing by goons make it more Refreshing
Finally the Director’s cut Navdeep Singh in his maiden endeavor mixes rustic appeal of a dull town and an interesting convincing thriller with ingenuity. Through his film he tries out to bail out of the reality which beckons us everyday(might is always right) and succeeds in the end. when SV says embracing his Wife “Kabhi Kabhi November mein bhi Barish Hoti Hai)
A must Watch for all Who Love real kicks of life