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Intriguing but lacks the punch
Highlights
Women-centric angst. Nothing hidden. Everything said (and displayed). This platitude-choked story seeks to throw up serious questions. Answers? Tragically the response advocates anarchy and reflects
Women-centric angst. Nothing hidden. Everything said (and displayed). This platitude-choked story seeks to throw up serious questions. Answers? Tragically the response advocates anarchy and reflects, albeit with a degree of justification that people have not too much faith in the system. Pan Nalin sure dares to ask, however, the offering is a tad too excogitated and you feel that suddenly Goa is not the lovely tourist spot of the country but the underbelly for the worst that can happen. The film is arguably the first exclusive women bonding film I can recollect from Bollywood. This is also not the giggly sahelis of the 1960s. Here the group of girls who are out on a holiday to Goa for the wedding of one of them carry huge baggage. All of them realise that life is only seemingly beautiful. Actually we cosmetise our existence to hide the many warts and engage in chasing the mirage or even deceptively put up a façade that keeps us in the social orbit. Pan Nalin evaluates this perception of life but overstates the gritty reality in dark light.
Freida D'Silva (Sarah-Jane Dias) invites her friends, just half a dozen, to a holiday in Goa. She has withdrawn from the mad fast world in search of her own nirvana. Her friends include a singer Madhureeta Kumar (Anushka Manchanda) who is temperamental and has made earlier attempts to take her own life; the Delhite Pammi Jaiswal (Pavleen Gujral) who is carrying the burden of a picture perfect matrimony but hiding a marriage gone wrong and an imposing maa-in-law. Then there is Suranjana Sharma (Sandhya Mridul) a high-profile mining magnet who is always on her cell phone if not on her net connection.
With her is her little daughter Maya to whom she is a single parent. There is then aspiring Bollywood starlet Joanna Mendes (Amrit Maghera). Each of them has a story to say, a grievance in the closet and an ambition unfulfilled. Into this world walks the feisty Nargis Nasreen (Tannishtha Chatterjee) a social worker who is protesting against Suranjana’s industry. Removed from the socio-economic orbit of these friends is Lakshmi (Rajshiri Despande) the house help who has her own problems and is the angry young one who is out to avenge the man who killed her brother but gets caught in the legal hassles.
The filmmaker goes about dealing with Section 377 and 498 A and how social mindsets are very difficult to overcome. He deals with social doublespeak, with values outlived and new unaccepted. He tries hard to take you through a climax that simply does not take off and leaves a very listless effect. It is the cast that really saves the day for the filmmaker–the finale notwithstanding. Adil Hussain as the inspector comes into the narration in the dying moments and as usual adds credibility. In the final analysis the film labours to project the doublespeak society harbours for women. The female bonding is interesting but nowhere to the Akhtar siblings projecting male bonding.
It is, however, a first of sorts. As rape increases, women continue to be exploited and systems perpetuate prejudice, we also are the people to worship the female deity with praise a la the Mahissaasura Mardini and recite with fervour: Victory and victory to you, Oh darling daughter of the mountain, Oh Goddess who showers boons on devas, Who punishes those who are undisciplined. Who tolerates ugly faced ogres, Who enjoys in being happy, Who looks after the three worlds, Who pleases lord Shiva, Who removes effect of sins, Who rejoices with the holy sound, Who is angry on the progenies of Dhanu, Who is angry with the children of Dithi, Who discourages those with pride, Who is the daughter of the Ocean, Who has captivating braided hair, Who is the daughter of a mountain. And who is the slayer of Mahissaasura. The paradox is complete.
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L Ravichander
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