Written for the Screen and Directed by: Ramin Bahrani
Starring: Adarsh Gourav, Priyanka Chopra, Rajkumar Rao
Streaming on Netflix.
It feels like a follow up film to Slumdog Millionaire. I enjoyed watching the film for its style and its narrative style. Although, having Balram speak in English felt a little off. In this day and age where we watch a lot of World Cinema, I wish they'd have shot the film with the dialogue predominantly in Hindi. The style of the voice over in this film is similar to Wolf of Wall Street - they make day to day observations in a world that is completely different from our regular world. In Wolf of Wall Street, he talks about wealth, his lavishness and more. In this film, they talk about poverty. Though the film has empathy towards Balram, the lens from which even the film looks at him is quite elitist. The fact that they make an observation about 10 people sleeping in a house - which is quite normal in some parts of the country - speaks about their lens. I feel that to an extent that's necessary, or else the film would've been too art house. But I felt that if the film could eventually change its lens as the film progresses, and travel with the character - it's have been more hitting. Now, even in the beginning, the film looks at this world from an outsider's view. What if they travel with the character and what if the worldview of the film too evolves with the character?
Apart from this one issue, I absolutely enjoyed the film. I loved Adarsh Gourav's performance. He was terrific. I enjoyed the craft of the film, the way it's shot and edited is beautiful. I want to definitely watch Ramin Bahrani's other films. The film definitely hits hard in terms of how it talks about the rooster attitude, social mobility, the wealth disparity and things like that. It's an unnerving story of an underdog, and by the end of the film, I definitely want to know more about what happened to Balram after this, because it's likely that he continues to go down this path for his desire for more.
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