They are indeed inserted to explain a motivation or prove a point about society. Sure, the triggered flashbacks and the twists in the side-stories seem slightly forced. From the dialect to the despair, everything works towards keeping you in the Chambal valley.
The cast right from Sushant Singh Rajput and Bhumi Pednekar to the last supporting actor does its part without a single hair out of place. Even if the lack of background is disorienting, you feel like you are in the dry heat, hungry and thirsty. In that sense, Sonchiriya is an immersive experience.
It is a good thing then that the issues taken up are engaging by themselves and are well supported by the performances, the cinematography, and the production design. Also, the glaring missing hole is what the rebels are rebelling against and what has caused their disillusionment? It almost feels like the makers assumed that the audiences know the background at the risk of alienating the audience. But the film also has elements that are too in the face and drag on for too long slowing down the pace of the film while making it predictable. There are other aspects of the story that are subtler and thus add to the intrigue in the film. Then there are the junior police officers who are seething with anger at a senior police officer from another (so-called lower?) caste which makes for a sharp observation about the caste system itself. These characters create space for many a societal issue to be brought to fore like the strong-willed woman who still needs men to shield her from the atrocities of other men is, of course, comment on gender suppression. These dynamics lay out a foundation for many other interesting characters to dwell in-from ‘follow the leader’ simpleton rebels to police officers who are philosopher-poets. He wants to do the right thing, but it isn’t always possible. He wants to be dutiful, but he knows not what his duty is. The existential questions one of the rebels, Lakhna struggles with can be said to be the story’s core. While a character spells out the meaning of Sonchiriya for the audience, I kept thinking of the character as India herself. In fact, once the tone is set, the entire film is rather predictable too, and yet it stays largely engaging because of the performances and how things unfold.
The despair and futility of the struggle are relentless. The all too familiar arid setting of the deserts in the heart of the country where rebels thrive is relentless.
0 kommentar(er)
