India Lockdown

India Lockdown review :

We are probably the first (and hopefully last) generation to have experienced a disease induced country wide lockdown- something which taught us to work from/at home and made online communication a part of our everyday lives. Only this lockdown which started on the fateful evening of 24th March and extended till mid June 2020 wasn't as kind for the lower middle and labour class who lost their bread and butter...and some their lives!!

Madhur Bhandarkar, acclaimed for his realistic cinema, chooses this grim chapter which will invariably find a place in Indian history. " Bomb blasts, 26/11 aur floods mein bhi Mumbai chalta raha...yeh Corona naam ki kya musibat hai!!" goes the lament which accurately reflects the mood of that time. Indeed, the Covid lockdown was something unprecedented, harsh but highly essential as a precautionary measure.

Bhandarkar chooses to showcase all classes of the society to reflect how the covid lockdown impacted every Indian. There is a senior citizen (Prakash Belawadi) stuck in locked up Mumbai when he was about to travel to Hyderabad for his daughter's delivery. A migrant couple (Prateik Babbar- Sai Tamhankar) lose their jobs in Mumbai and have no option but to walk all the way to their hometown in Bihar. A lady pilot (Aahana Kumra) befriends her new "virgin" neighbour and they get close in this lockdown state. Lastly, a Kamathipura prostitute (Shweta Basu Prasad) runs out of business and devises a new trick to earn some grub - phone sex.

The screenplay is fast paced as well as relatable to a significant extent. The hardships faced by every strata is accurately explored by Bhandarkar without making the movie appear like a mundane documentary. His trademark flair for mixing commercial elements in to realism is evident once again. The climax where all the sub plots merge together seamlessly is also commendable.

Bhandarkar has the knack of extracting the best from his ladies and he doesn't disappoint here as well. Shweta Basu Prasad is simply outstanding, Sai Tamhankar is utterly convincing as the hapless poor migrant coping with blatant passes made at her and lastly, Aahana Kumra springs a pleasant surprise with her superlative act reminding you of the seductive Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate (1967). I wish the film was bold enough to consumate her love...but alas!!

Prateik Babbar is another well etched character and the way he rummages through garbage for a piece of food is gut wrenching. Certain scenes create a shock value like an ambulance used by a vile corporator for sex and a well to do dude casually dismissing covid as a sham dying of the same in no time.

All in all, India Lockdown is certainly worth a one time watch. It is a near accurate account of all the breaking news we saw and read in those turbulent times when survival was more important than personal progress. Fortunately, we all lived to see a film made on it today. Cheers for that!

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.