When we saw Irfan Khan (or Irrfan as he calls himself now) in a DD soap, Humraahi in the early 90s, it was quite evident, a superlative artist had arrived. The unconventional looking character artiste had a unique way of mouthing his dialogues that had not hitherto been seen on television, cinema neither. Many small time and international ventures later, Irrfan's career seems to be peaking now with Paan Singh Tomar (PST).
PST is tailor made for an actor of his calibre, and vindicates director Tigmanshu Dhulia's faith in his lead actor. He slips into the character so effortlessly that for a good two odd hours, cinegoers live in the suspended disbelief of seeing Tomar in Irrfan. Dhulia has hit bulls eye, as always, with hard hitting, engaging fare.
Set in the terrains and villages of infamous Chambal, PST traces the life of naive, earnest Subedar Tomar, a national athletic champion turned outlaw. Dhulia's Tomar is hard as nails, as he is soft and vulnerable. A character fleshed into so many complex parts, just as he is simple. PST adeptly steers clear of the "why I took to arms" cliche and moves on to tell a touching tale of the bemused Subedar who gets no succor from the "system", with freshness. Tomar's bewilderment turns to anger once he realizes that he lives in a world that cares two hoots for his past glories as a national 'steeple chase' champion. His steadfast refusal to be labeled an outlaw, opting for "rebel"(baaghi) instead, makes for an interesting commentary on rules and laws that exist in the so-called civilized urban world juxtaposed with the rules that are implicit in another feudal world not too far from us. Now, you might ask, why would anyone run to the multiplexes to watch a middle aged, not- at- all hot commercial proposition going by the name Irrfan? Well,the answer is anyone's guess. You watch a movie where the story is the hero or the anti-hero, not particularly, marquee names. If Shekhar Kapoor's Bandit Queen attempted to demystify the other Chambal honcho, Phoolan Devi, Dhulia's biopic makes a similar attempt. The camera is a voyeur in both cases, caressing its muse with love from all angles. It is not always the female who arouses interest; PST makes you forget a few stereotypes for a while, and just surrender to the narrative.
Among the various characters who flit in and out with Irrfan, Mahie Gill as Indra, in a brief role, is the lady to watch for as she plays the dutiful, but vocal wife to hilt. A movie replete with ironies, strong moments, commentaries (without overtly preachy soliloquies)and a strong script, PST scores despite a few sluggish moments, and the inevitable end. What other fate can a "dacoit" meet with? PST also subtly laments the fact we are a cricket driven nation that pays little or no attention to achievers in other sport. These sports persons die unsung, in penury, or in extreme cases, hit the gun, like PST did. Tomar's outburst, "When I ran for the country, no one cared, but now it seems everyone is chasing me", underlines the fact for you.
Overall, an interesting fortnight, with author-backed female character-led movie, Kahani also doing the rounds to rave reviews. PST has sold itself through sheer story, while Kahani has banked upon story, yes, and also the lady of the moment, Vidya Balan. Nevertheless, Bollywood, give us more of these. We are always game.
PST is tailor made for an actor of his calibre, and vindicates director Tigmanshu Dhulia's faith in his lead actor. He slips into the character so effortlessly that for a good two odd hours, cinegoers live in the suspended disbelief of seeing Tomar in Irrfan. Dhulia has hit bulls eye, as always, with hard hitting, engaging fare.
Among the various characters who flit in and out with Irrfan, Mahie Gill as Indra, in a brief role, is the lady to watch for as she plays the dutiful, but vocal wife to hilt. A movie replete with ironies, strong moments, commentaries (without overtly preachy soliloquies)and a strong script, PST scores despite a few sluggish moments, and the inevitable end. What other fate can a "dacoit" meet with? PST also subtly laments the fact we are a cricket driven nation that pays little or no attention to achievers in other sport. These sports persons die unsung, in penury, or in extreme cases, hit the gun, like PST did. Tomar's outburst, "When I ran for the country, no one cared, but now it seems everyone is chasing me", underlines the fact for you.
Overall, an interesting fortnight, with author-backed female character-led movie, Kahani also doing the rounds to rave reviews. PST has sold itself through sheer story, while Kahani has banked upon story, yes, and also the lady of the moment, Vidya Balan. Nevertheless, Bollywood, give us more of these. We are always game.
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