A Potpourri of Vestiges Review
Rimli Bhattacharya
“Jane Kya Tune Kahi,
Jane Kya Maine Suni,
BaatKuch Ban Hi Gayi
Jane Kya Tune Kahi…….”
As I return home humming these four lines after watching the movie a chill runs down my spine. The killer loved this song. All of a sudden I start feeling cold and I feel miserable. The lines are from the movie Pyaasa (released in the year 1957). It was directed by the tragedy king of Bollywood Guru Dutt. Both he and Waheeda were the lead characters and the playback singer was none other than Guru Dutt’s wife Geeta Dutt. And we also know Guru Dutt was depressive and the very fact that he loved two women ultimately forced him to take his life.
Films are mostly made out of our real life experiences, some contradicts and few agrees. I fall in the latter category. Released on 23 September 2022 and with a budget of 10 crores the movie is trending in the Multiplexes. R. Balki is not only the director but also the writer and producer of this particular psychological crime thriller.
When I first watched the psychic movie Silence of the Lambs (year 1991) I was a teen and I thought the story was nothing but a horrible piece of s**t. But today I want to look back and ask Sir Anthony Hopkins, “How could you……..?” Down the line I watched several such movies, e.g Chotushkone (year 2014), The Stoneman Murders (2009) and many more of that category. I started understanding the psychology of the killers and why they do so. My late father was a professor in Philosophy and his research paper being The Understanding of Human Psychology I would confide in him every single happenings of my life. Now that he is no more I have none to reach out to talk except for the pen and paper much like the book “The Diary of Anne Frank” quoting “Papers are your best friends and they don’t lie.”
Chup: The revenge of the artist stars Danny/Sebastian Gomes (played by Dulquer Salmaan) in the lead role. And I must say he has done a tremendous justice in his role. He the psychopath, he the little boy who witnesses his father’s atrocities rendered on him, his mother and his little pet, dog Danny. Battered and bruised from his father’s blows and the broken childhood that he had undergone had taken a toll on his mental health. He turns an ardent fan of Guru Dutt, the tragedy hero and becomes a serial killer. Every serial killer follows a pattern in their murders. Danny/Sebastian is no exception. Here he targeted the film reviewers. If he disagreed with the critic he wouldn’t even spare himself a minute to commit that ghastly murder. Let me put it this way: he had become a critic of the critics.
Will it be too much if I ask this particular question to the director – “I mean sir, with no offense meant why bring Guru Dutt and why that song throughout the film play?” I assured myself with the answer that is how the film industry works. May be little bit of copy from here to there. The first half of the movie sucks. With Inspector Arvind Mathur (played by Sunny Deol) breaks his knuckles trying to get a clue through the mind of the murderer. I dozed off. Too many gruesome killings might have left me with the option of going to sleep. I mean we are quite familiar with Bollywood’s stunts. I wake up a little earlier than the interval only to witness the romance and love scenes between Nila (played by Shreya Dhanwanthary) and Danny/Sebastian. The romance doesn’t last longer as a particular breakthrough provokes the killer to return to his basic instincts.
To be honest a psychological thriller needs action packed scenes to provoke the audiences and make the film a box office hit. I should not be biased about my dozing off and Balki’s skill to keep his audiences engaged. He does a brilliant job just that I could not understand certain nuances. Like what is a priest doing at a killer’s house and of course the Guru Dutt connection? May be Danny gets a high on depression whenever he watches Guru Dutt. And why to portray Nila’s mother a blind fearless woman who doesn’t flinch even after knowing that her daughter’s life is in danger? Pooja Bhatt’s role as Dr. Zenobia Shroff is commendable. Debashish Mishra’s sound track too is exemplary. I mean I am in love with that song and the lyrics.The other number which he plays doesn’t do a justice. The relationships are complex for the audiences like me to understand. To me the second half gears up and makes up for the undemanding first half. The movie also speaks on plagiarism and somewhere it touched my raw nerve which is yet to be healed. If directors can copy, then why not me? But I had to pay a huge price on a review that I had written ten years back copying someone else’s work.
Overall I can say both Sunny Deol and Dulquer Salmaan have kept the audiences on their toes. The role of Pooja Bhatt could have been handled in a better way. She is now a powerhouse of talent. Ever since Bombay Begums have released I have become an ardent fan of her. Dialogues are powerful and suits the personalities of the characters.
This is my review. And now that the verdict is out the movie is a hit why not watch it with a can of coke and popcorn.
About Author
Rimli Bhattacharya is a first class gold medalist in Mechanical Engineering with a MBA in supply chain management. She has contributed to two anthologies, A Book of light and Muffled Moans and has written two solo books, The crosshairs of life and That day it rained and other stories. Her other works have appeared in twenty nine literary magazines & E – Zines. She is also an Indian Classical dancer. Views expressed are personal.
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