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Nonika Singh
“This entire case, your honor, rests on prejudice.” So thunders Aarti Mohammad (Taapsee Pannu) in the court. And it’s exactly these prejudices, yes most certainly religious ones that Mulk tears into. With force, aplomb and dramatic impact.
For too long Bollywood has taken comfort in the facetious communal harmony with the postcard image of Hindu-Muslim bhai bhai, even when fissures between the communities have been anything but dormant. Mulk too begins in a similar fashion. Set in Varanasi, the hotbed of religiosity, it shows families of both religions coexisting with each other. But soon enough Anubhav Sinha, who has written as well as directed the film, looks at the elephant in the room without blinking or squirming and lends a firm and affirmative voice to Muslims.
By taking the case of a family, which has unwittingly and unknowingly nurtured a terrorist, he is not ignoring the other facet of the issue either. But should an entire family (community) suffer from the acts of one person is the big question that the film asks loud and clear. Crystal clear!
It doesn’t really go deep into the making of a terrorist. What makes Shahid Mohammed (Prateik Babbar) turn the other way considering that he comes from a happy regular middle class family is in a way inexplicable. Early rushes establish how his house, held together by the family patriarch Murad Ali Mohammed (Rishi Kapoor), is like any other household in India; happy with minor issues here and there. But soon the narrative progresses to delve deep into discomfiting and relevant concerns, while the actors tap into your emotionalscape.
Rishi Kapoor as the head of the family whose peace has come tumbling down lends just the right degree of dignity and vulnerability to his character. One particular scene where he asks how does he prove his love for his country sees him at his best. Taapsee Pannu as the Hindu daughter in-law is simply brilliant especially when she comes into her own in the final moments of the film that hold you in vice-like grip as well as move you to tears. But the real surprise is Manoj Pahwa, the actor known for his comic timing, is achingly believable as the father of the terrorist. His admission of guilt of having fathered a terrorist is indeed one of the most heartrending acts. Ashtoush Rana, the conceited public prosecutor Santosh Anand, is just the boor he is supposed to play. His lines are funny and at once lay bare the demons lurking inside us. Kumud Mishra’s act of the indulgent judge plays along with Anand’s tomfoolery, till he too has his moment of denouement. While the film does throw in a bit of sermonizing but the manner in which Sinha gels it all together is commendable.
The courtroom drama, even when over the top, never loses its punch or bite. In fact even at the loudest best, Mulk never fails to touch a chord. Us vs them, the affliction that divides India is taken to task in some of the most memorable lines delivered by Pannu. To answer the hyperactive trollers, well, there isn’t a thing that is anti-Hindu in the film. For once the director lives up to what he promises. The film which is entertaining and meaningful calls no names. Only wonders aloud why Indian Muslims should be the target and forces us to get rid of the mindset that indicts an entire community. Must we see each other with communal-tinted glasses, as it throws open the all too apparent biases, it becomes a must see, especially for those wearing communal blinkers with glee and pride.
War against terrorism can’t translate into a war against a community is the sobering reminder that comes through in the film, equally potently with the character of Rajat Kapoor, a Muslim officer Danish Javed of the antiterrorist squad, who too nurses prejudices, not un-surprisingly against his own community. His character may not be an example to follow but the film does set a worthy example, especially in the divisive times that we live in. Indeed, it’s a laudable version of nationalism.
nonikasingh@tribunemail.com
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