Directed by: Nagesh
Kukunoor
Starring: Naseeruddin
Shah, Juhi Chawla, Jackie Shroff, Nagesh Kukunoor, Gulshan Grover
Released: 2003
My rating: destroy
every copy – horrible – bad – whatever – flawed
but enjoyable - good – great –
amazing
A curious, intriguing
movie this is. Amazingly non-glamorous, yet not hyping on any dirt.
Lasts little under 2 hours and yet stays with you for quite a while
after. Clever and with a twist that you never could expect, but not
venturing into an impossible scenario area. As both a sum of its
parts and the final product 3 Deewarein is, I feel, severely
underrated.
The notorious „bad man“
of Bollywood Gulshan Grover is here a „good man“, leaving aside
his comic antics and theatrical villainous acting, trying to run a
prison, where the prisoners are treated with humanity and everything
is done to support their reformation. But some cases, apparently are
beyond help. Three walls are a prison to three death convincts, each
distinctly different from one another, but sharing the same lot. And
the story serves as a probe to test their mentality and behavior face
to face with death punishment and lengthy waiting for it. Nagya
(played by director himself), keep believing his innocence would
eventually be proved. Ishaan (excellent, excellent Naseeruddin Shah,
stealing the show away and being incredibly charming even as a
killer) is a sly-operator keeping his cool and plotting his escape.
And finally Jaggu (Jackie Shroff) decides to be absolutely stoic,
waiting for death as if she was his lover, whom he would welcome with
some of his plentiful, melancholic poetry (which he recites so
soulfully in his deep sexy voice that everything in me just couldn´t
help but to be a Jackie Shroff-fangirl).
The makers did an
excellent job in presenting the reality of life in jail and daily
routine of the prisoners. When with the characters, you feel indeed
enclosed in the same small world they are allowed to exist in, cut
off from the world. There is nothing filmi about this prison, neither
there is a Hitler-like jailor (waving at you, Sholay) and do not
expect a happy song about how awesome it is to be imprisoned (avoid a
movie called „Army“ at all cost). Within this atmosphere, both
calm and full of anticipation, depending on which of the three
condemned prisoners is pulling the story forward, the excellent
performances by the actors make an intriguing tapestry of emotions
and actions.
The medium through which
the plot function though, is Juhi Chawla in a role of a documentary
filmmaker. Simply clad, with simple talks, she is not what she
appears to be to the world. These days expression „women
empowerment“ is being thrown around right left and center, and it
is unfair to forget that there have been character in the past that
indeed reached the empowerment – Juhi in 3 Deewarein is one of
them, as she plays an abused wife who not only decides to satisfy her
need for being creative, she manages to win over her husband all by
herself too. And meanwhile she is also an avenger. And a rescuer.
Her performance is brilliant (and for me personally her best, most
intense), her presence among the mournful and pessimist prisoners
like a fresh wind. And her despair in scenes showing her personal
life nothing less than deeply disturbing.
The movie does not have
any songs, but the background score and a lonely, touching melody of
a flute, which sounds throughout the prison in the nights, are
beautiful. Editing in some of the scenes flawless. There is a bit too
much English for my taste, which is one of the minor possible
complaints. If you are looking for a really good film, try this one
for sure.
I've heard so many good things about this films, it's really been haunting me for years with reviews popping up here and there. You make it sound like something every Bollywood enthusiast should watch and so I will, promised!
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the few films that I really recommend without second thought. :)
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