Anurag Kashyap and Sakshi Mehta present a harrowing picture of the numerous tribulations faced by undertrial prisoners. The social commentary on corrupt public institutions as well as media trial hit hard. Bobby Deol gets a layered role with shades of grey, and he goes full throttle coming up with a first-rate act. The character Sameer Mehra isn’t completely white or black, and this makes the movie more interesting
Starcast: Bobby Deol, Sapna Pabbi, Sanya Malhotra, Indrajit Sukumaran, Saba Azad etc
Genre: Thriller/drama
Directors: Anurag Kashyap and Sakshi Mehta
Writers: Sudip Sharma and Abhishek Benarjee
Music: Amit Trivedi, Vishal Mishra etc
Cinematography: Saiyed Shaaz
Producers: Anurag Kashyap, Nikhil Tiwedi etc
Production Company: Saffron Magic Works
Running time: 2 hours plus
There is an important line in Anurag Kashyap’s latest Bander where Bobby Deol’s Sameer Mehra describes himself. He categorizes himself as sometimes good and sometimes bad. This scene with an ex-girlfriend turned adversary (a super Sapna Babbi) isn’t just a throw away portion. It sums up the role in many ways. At some points Bandar also reflects Bobby Deol’s real-life struggles before the fantastic resurgence in Animal. There is a portion of Sameer walking out of an airport after performing in a wedding. In spite of being popular in the past no one in media notices Sameer let alone clicking his photograph. Bandar in simple terms is about a woman accusing a man of raping her. Of course, nothing of that sort has happened. Sapna Babbi’s Gayatri is driven by vengeance when Sameer develops a cold feet. However, the bigger picture of Bandar are the hardships faced by undertrial prisoners and how they are boxed in a certain category irrespective of whether they have actually done the crime or not.
A strong aspect of Bandar is undoubtedly the depiction of jails nitty gritties. Anurag Kashyap along with his writers don’t sugar coat at any point, the portions have the required rawness and as viewers you are immersed on what would be the plight of Sameer. Of course, the technical departments deserve equal credit too whether it’s the cinematography or production design.
The different gangs within the jail and the rules which come with it also have an authentic texture. Initially Sameer aligns himself with a certain group, but things change in a heated moment. He switches sides joining with Indrajith Sukumaran’s Lijo. Lijo has a solid hold over the jail atmosphere. His influence can be seen clearly in numerous portions. Lijo guiding Sameer on how to maintain sanity and the cutthroat nature of the law gives Bandar some of its best moments. Indrajith Sukumaran brings in the required authority along with a certain warmth in equal measure.
The character of Sameer Mehta also deserves equal appreciation. As already mentioned the man isn’t completely white or black. At times the viewers feel that he is actually capable of doing the heinous crime he has been charged with. There is one portion of sexual innuendoes with Gayatri, the details of which cannot be mentioned here. The man also comes across as someone stuck in the past glory and not wanting to start fresh. In spite of some despicable behavior on certain occasions, the viewers still feel for Sameer when he gets emotionally vulnerable constantly pleading with the sister played by a wonderful Sanya Malhotra.
The sequences between the two are emotionally poignant and Bobby is particularly fantastic in these scenes. Sanya Malhotra as the sister trying to hold things together from crumbling also tugs at the viewers hearts.
The gradual unraveling of Sameer’s past with Gayathri has also come out well. From the initial Dovey moments and then the eventual rejection leading to a psychotic change in Gayathri, all this has been wonderfully written and enacted with Sapna Pabbi not missing a single beat.
The songs of Bandar composed by multiple artists have a nice variety. The title song in particular catches the movie theme well. A romantic number “Kyun Maaza Aa Raha Hai” makes for a soothing listen and watch too.
Apart from the actors mentioned above Saba Azad playing one of Sameer’s girlfriends has a lovely presence and does a good job within the limited scope. Jithendra Joshi as a corrupt policeman has an absolute ball especially in an early interrogation scene with Bobby. This portion also has some chuckle worthy moments.
The subject of Bandar featuring a male victim is likely to split the viewers especially in the context of the then Me Too Movement. Having said that the movie is very much worth watching. The performances alone make it worth the ticket.