Anirudha Roy C, Ritesh S & Shoojit S have, together, perhaps crafted an almost-perfect modern-day flick, a work of cinematic art that chooses, in spite of all the temptation to go mainstream, not to play to the galleries, instead ensuring that everything is kept grounded, & that's no mean feat.
This, is what concerted efforts by truly-collaborative teams look like, when each & every draft of their work is sharpened, until it becomes such a razor-sharp edge, till it's time to begin production, in the end, showcasing a gripping tale, while also acting as a testament to 1 of the issues that ail us as a society today. While it does need mature minds appreciating it, it also needs attn from those with an empathetic heart willing, and ready, to receive the message.
This might just be, for this generation, what 'The Accused' was to the earlier one, where the victim, someone who was only being herself, turned out to be the 1 put on trial, not just by her accusers, but also by her peers. 'Pink', holds a mirror up to who we, & those we regard highly, actually are truly like, deep inside. The discussions it invites, after the end-credits have rolled, are as important as what the movie showcases.
A few seemed to focus on there being no-one-home when observing a protagonist's observation/stare. It's a testament to the writing & the person's characterization, along with the amazing performance, that this character is the 1 person who's actually all there, who, almost belatedly decides to take matters into his/her own hands, coming to the aid of someone who really needs it, rather than choose to be overcome by what society & age demand of him/her, not even using those crutches to stand on the sidelines as most of us in his/her situation are wont to do.
This perfect work also delves deep into details, including the inner workings of the legal process, which doesn't just end with putting our victims on trial, in & out of the courtroom, especially if it's someone we perceive as 1 being unable to ever fight back. It shows us each & every hoop that someone in their situation has to go through, & how that process, & (some of) the laws prevalent within our society today, coerce even the mature & the forward-thinking among us today (epitomized by more than just 1 character in this great work of art) to become dehumanized, mostly willingly, since the sidelines are our chosen home.
And, there are minor sequences that stand out: All the courtroom sequences (pleasantly evocative of 'Jolly LLB', & its under- appreciated official remake, 'Manithan'), with the closing arguments being the most evocative of that, along with 1 sequence where a character performs a gesture protecting the dignity of another, without any words, just by ensuring that he/she does not have to cover their identity from casual, prejudiced onlookers. Almost teared-up/applauded/both.
Shoojit Sircar, behind-the-scenes, seems to respect/worship Amitabh Bachchan, so much that he has been instrumental in making the thespian up his game with each of his movies made for him - 'Piku', 'TE3n' & now, this.
All performances are bang-on, with Amitabh's author- backed role standing out for obvious reasons (he doesn't have more than 3 lines in the 1st half, & in the 2nd, the chickens come home to roost, with the supporting characters, & the audience-members, including those who professed to need subtitles to understand him when he was expressing something thoughtful in a low tone due to his mysterious mental condition, hang on every word of his - each & every word!). His best performance to-date. Pannu, Kulhari & Tariang are pitch- perfect in their roles as well, & this could well be Piyush Mishra's best as well (he's always been good - his comedic timing & diction in 'Happy bhaag Jaayegi' is a testament to that, in recent times). Contrast the Amitabh of his last 3 movies, including this one, to his roles in his earlier works like रेष्मा और शेरा, through mainstream works like याराना, artsy stuff including बेमिसाल, & other mainstream stuff, including इन्कलाब & इंद्रजीत.
The editing, the production design, the location work, the cinematography, the background score (Anupam Roy, of 'Sheheb Bibi Gholaam' fame, Shantanu Moitra etc.) are amazing, and augment the narrative whenever it needs their support. Now, having said all that, this is not perfect. Surprisingly contriving set of circumstances exist, which lead to a halfway point where a knight in not-so- shining armor gets to arrive, in time to effect a rescue. Up until that point, the makers seemed to have eschewed the mainstream staple of ensuring that contrivances drove the narrative.
There was also, perhaps, no need to add moral ambiguity within a fairly real & simple narrative, something that ends up getting highlighted ultimately, trying (but thankfully failing) to dilute the overall impact. Perhaps a symptom of over-writing, going beyond the last perfect script-draft?
Make no mistake, this is as serious as it gets, along with being perceived as being quite heavy & depressing (there were ppl, who, perhaps not understanding the concept of patience, walked out during, or, even worse, sat thru it, complaining all the time, or being on their phones). However, while this is not a mainstream flick, this just might find appeal among thoughtful moviegoers, even in the mainstream realm.
Sure hope it not only triggers conversations we should've been having since 1947, but also ensures that chauvinism (not just the domain of the male gender, imho) is addressed in otherwise normal, slightly-prejudiced people. In these days of the 24-hour news cycle, which has successfully erased any semblance of empathy from most of us, there's not much left to root for. In the meantime, some of us get to welcome works like this one.
This, is what concerted efforts by truly-collaborative teams look like, when each & every draft of their work is sharpened, until it becomes such a razor-sharp edge, till it's time to begin production, in the end, showcasing a gripping tale, while also acting as a testament to 1 of the issues that ail us as a society today. While it does need mature minds appreciating it, it also needs attn from those with an empathetic heart willing, and ready, to receive the message.
This might just be, for this generation, what 'The Accused' was to the earlier one, where the victim, someone who was only being herself, turned out to be the 1 put on trial, not just by her accusers, but also by her peers. 'Pink', holds a mirror up to who we, & those we regard highly, actually are truly like, deep inside. The discussions it invites, after the end-credits have rolled, are as important as what the movie showcases.
A few seemed to focus on there being no-one-home when observing a protagonist's observation/stare. It's a testament to the writing & the person's characterization, along with the amazing performance, that this character is the 1 person who's actually all there, who, almost belatedly decides to take matters into his/her own hands, coming to the aid of someone who really needs it, rather than choose to be overcome by what society & age demand of him/her, not even using those crutches to stand on the sidelines as most of us in his/her situation are wont to do.
This perfect work also delves deep into details, including the inner workings of the legal process, which doesn't just end with putting our victims on trial, in & out of the courtroom, especially if it's someone we perceive as 1 being unable to ever fight back. It shows us each & every hoop that someone in their situation has to go through, & how that process, & (some of) the laws prevalent within our society today, coerce even the mature & the forward-thinking among us today (epitomized by more than just 1 character in this great work of art) to become dehumanized, mostly willingly, since the sidelines are our chosen home.
And, there are minor sequences that stand out: All the courtroom sequences (pleasantly evocative of 'Jolly LLB', & its under- appreciated official remake, 'Manithan'), with the closing arguments being the most evocative of that, along with 1 sequence where a character performs a gesture protecting the dignity of another, without any words, just by ensuring that he/she does not have to cover their identity from casual, prejudiced onlookers. Almost teared-up/applauded/both.
Shoojit Sircar, behind-the-scenes, seems to respect/worship Amitabh Bachchan, so much that he has been instrumental in making the thespian up his game with each of his movies made for him - 'Piku', 'TE3n' & now, this.
All performances are bang-on, with Amitabh's author- backed role standing out for obvious reasons (he doesn't have more than 3 lines in the 1st half, & in the 2nd, the chickens come home to roost, with the supporting characters, & the audience-members, including those who professed to need subtitles to understand him when he was expressing something thoughtful in a low tone due to his mysterious mental condition, hang on every word of his - each & every word!). His best performance to-date. Pannu, Kulhari & Tariang are pitch- perfect in their roles as well, & this could well be Piyush Mishra's best as well (he's always been good - his comedic timing & diction in 'Happy bhaag Jaayegi' is a testament to that, in recent times). Contrast the Amitabh of his last 3 movies, including this one, to his roles in his earlier works like रेष्मा और शेरा, through mainstream works like याराना, artsy stuff including बेमिसाल, & other mainstream stuff, including इन्कलाब & इंद्रजीत.
The editing, the production design, the location work, the cinematography, the background score (Anupam Roy, of 'Sheheb Bibi Gholaam' fame, Shantanu Moitra etc.) are amazing, and augment the narrative whenever it needs their support. Now, having said all that, this is not perfect. Surprisingly contriving set of circumstances exist, which lead to a halfway point where a knight in not-so- shining armor gets to arrive, in time to effect a rescue. Up until that point, the makers seemed to have eschewed the mainstream staple of ensuring that contrivances drove the narrative.
There was also, perhaps, no need to add moral ambiguity within a fairly real & simple narrative, something that ends up getting highlighted ultimately, trying (but thankfully failing) to dilute the overall impact. Perhaps a symptom of over-writing, going beyond the last perfect script-draft?
Make no mistake, this is as serious as it gets, along with being perceived as being quite heavy & depressing (there were ppl, who, perhaps not understanding the concept of patience, walked out during, or, even worse, sat thru it, complaining all the time, or being on their phones). However, while this is not a mainstream flick, this just might find appeal among thoughtful moviegoers, even in the mainstream realm.
Sure hope it not only triggers conversations we should've been having since 1947, but also ensures that chauvinism (not just the domain of the male gender, imho) is addressed in otherwise normal, slightly-prejudiced people. In these days of the 24-hour news cycle, which has successfully erased any semblance of empathy from most of us, there's not much left to root for. In the meantime, some of us get to welcome works like this one.