A rudderless attempt at social commentary

Johnson Thomas

An attempt at social satire with a redeemable cast should have brought in solid dividends considering the trend for the small-budget films with a quirky storyline and strong social comment ( Bareilly Ki Barfi, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, Badhaai Ho), of late, has left an indelible mark in the minds of the audience as well as the Box Office. And it’s not as if writer/director Pawan Kumar Chauhan’s efforts at stirring up a storm in a teacup are not appreciable.

The common plight of a Pandit (Sanjay Mishra) in Varanasi finding it difficult to marry off his daughter Radha (Kajal Jain) to her beau Gopal (Mahesh Sharma), may have resonated with the audience if the story and plotting had stayed true to the initial thread of an upright, incorruptible Panditji rejecting offers for Katha Pravachan (religious discourse) supported by the local goon-cum-wannabe politician Robdar (Mukesh Tiwari) on the grounds that the latter would be misusing it for electoral gain. The problem here lies with the development which allows the Panditji to flirt with material corruption, willing to dispose off an already profitable dowry-based arranged marriage between his son Banwari (Chandrachoor Rai) and Bengali widow Pankhuri (Ria Chanda) while getting the Darogaji (Bhagwan Tiwari), Robdar and Vidhayakji (Anjanikumar Khanna) to enter into small-minded shenanigans to appropriate the now IAS bridegroom for their respective daughters.

The film has an interesting enough premise and the performances are infallible but the wayward plotting cuts off the satirical aspects and leaves the main thematic essence distorted and unhinged. The narrative may seem fortuitous and busy, but it leaves little impact emotionally or otherwise. Bridegroom kidnapping may be a social malaise in central India but it’s not a cause worthy of discussion the way its depicted here. Fathers willing to palm off their daughters to pad up their own status consciousness and egos are not something to be glorified but that’s what this film appears to do. While the experience may be mild and harmless it’s certainly not anywhere close to entertaining!