Rough Book Analysis

Rough Book

Written, Directed and Edited by: Anant Narayan Mahadevan

Starring: Tannishtha Chatterjee

This film is about the Indian education system and it deals with various sub themes in this like encouraging kids to pursue their passion, the style of teaching, etc. This film reminds of the Tony Kaye directed film Detachment, which deals with depression and such themes. Both these films don't shy away from telling their opinions and views on these issues explicitly, but the only difference was that in Detachment we see the interviews of characters and that's how we get to know their views. In this film, we have characters talking to others and speaking out their views.

This film, had a slice of life treatment to it which I kind of didn't mind while watching because I like watching slice of life content in general but it felt like the dramatic narrative would've been more impactful and satisfying if the conflicts were high and then probably I wouldn't mind the explicit messaging of the film. It surely is good and important propaganda, but it is still propaganda. The portrayal of the students didn't work for me, I could sense that this is an adult's idea of how college kids would be.

Tannishtha Chatterjee is brilliant in this film, I saw her as a real person and her resilience was visible, but again I'd have loved the character more if she had faced more troubles and problems in the film. I couldn't empathize with her as much, in spite of the prologue; she divorcing her husband when she finds out that he is corrupt. This quality is something that we'd respect in a person, but might not necessarily be something that we'd relate to. A film which did this brilliantly, was the Pixar movie Up where they have a 10-min prologue, without which I can't imagine empathizing with a grumpy old character.

The editing of the film is refreshing, we don't see conventional editing style of wide, long, mid, close, mid, long, wide in a scene. We see sudden cuts and they aren't jarring as well. I just wish this film was more abstract in it's narrative and the craft so that there'd have been something to look forward to other than the messaging of the film.