Hollywood has seen directors like Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorcese, Coen Brothers and others of their ilk who have redefined filmmaking with their style. They have walked the uncharted path by bringing in innovations in all aspects of filmmaking. They are thought leaders.
What they have also done successfully (and something that they are not aware of) is that they have ‘inspired’ filmmakers in Bollywood. These Bollywood filmmakers successfully copy the concept but where do they bring a taut script with original thought and hell, how do they get the execution right!!
I shall not be too harsh on MTBKM. It is a well intention satire on land acquisition, commercialization, politicians and bureaucrats. But that’s what there is to it, nothing else. The plot is jerky; it seems that the script was continuously being adjusted to suit the fantasies of the director hence the end result seems like a few islands of gripping and funny moments in a river of inane and stupid clichés. The comedy (or efforts at comedy) can at best be called stupid (and I am being generous here). By the time the movie stutters and putters to the second half, it seems director Vishal Bharadwaj lost all motivation to think and filled the movie with all possible clichés that are the characteristic of Bollywood.
The movie is based in a village Mandola in Haryana wherein lives an alcoholic rich landowner. He suffers from a split personality disorder - he is a suave English speaking Mr. Mandola when sober and the rustic Mandola speaking in a Haryanvi accent when drunk. He has grand plans to setup a SEZ in his village but the impediments are the farmers who consider the land their mother and are reluctant to part with it. The villagers are supported by an anonymous revolutionary called ‘Mao’ who is supporting the villagers fight the officialdom.
The movie largely revolves around Pankaj Kapoor as Mandola and he has played the part well. He is very convincing in the dual-personality role and as the father of an only daughter. The rest of the characters hardly make an impact. Imran Khan as Mandola’s driver and sidekick and also as somebody who cares about the villagers and their land hardly makes an impact. He tries to put up a fake Haryanwi accent and ends up sounding squeakily funny. Anoushka Sharma plays Mandola’s daughter Bijlee. She has a long long way to go as far as acting is concerned. The thing with her is that she has a monotonous expression and stock dialogue delivery method which she has carried from all her earlier movies - be it Band Bajaa Baraat or Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi or her subsequent movies even as recent as Jab Tak Hai Jaan. It seems it is the same character; in a different costume and setup. If she has to survive she has to learn acting. In this movie her entry is probably the only noticeable bit where she does a desi Ursula Andress and emerges from a village pond in shorts and ganji; rest of the frames she hardly makes an impact.
Shabana Azmi as the wily politician, willing to sell her soul for money does a good job. For somebody of her caliber it seems like a cakewalk. In a nicely done monologue she convinces the viewer that all her designs are aimed towards the country’s progress. She is willing to go to the extent of even making her son a pawn in this game.
Vishal Bharadwaj has picked up a good plot but failed miserably in doing justice to it. There was so much that could have been done and an impact left; that opportunity was missed. One feels that the director tried to do too many things in the same movie and hence the disappointing result.