Tag: Honey Trehan

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Raat Akeli Hai(The Bansal murders): A competent whodunit with strong social themes

Honey Trehan’s second in the series doesn’t quite hit the high notes of the previous one: nevertheless, the movie is a gripping watch especially in its treatment of human greed and systemic corruption. Honey Trehan along with Smita Singh also touch upon on industrial pollution and a certain apathy for environment

Starcast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Chitragandha Singh, Deepti Naval, Revathy, Sanjay Kapoor and others

Genre: Thriller

Director: Honey Trehan

Writer: Smita Singh

Cinematography: Sirsha Ray

Producers: Abhishek Chaubey, Ronnie Screwala etc

Production companies: RVSP Movies and Macguffin Pictures

Running time: 2 hours and 29 minutes

The first Raat Akeli Hai released in 2020 was a compelling murder mystery as well as a social thriller. Through a murder mystery the plot explored the themes of women’s bodies controlled by patriarchy and how their autonomy both sexual and emotional are treated as sins: the institution of marriage being more of a transaction among others. Raat Akeli Hai (The Bansal Murders) follows a similar pattern in the way it combines a whodunit with social elements.

Raat Akeli Hai first part

The storyline of Raat Akeli Hai (The Bansal Murders) takes the viewers right into the thick of action. A wealthy and well-connected family is massacred to death. The crime is meant to be easily solved by the higher officers with a quick culprit fixed: however, Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s Jatil Yadav believes that there is more to what meets the eye. There are multiple skeltons in the closet. Secrets which are meant to be buried and not solved. The rest of the story is about the multiple suspects and the whys and how’s of the case.

A strong aspect of Raat Akeli Hai (The Bansal Murders) is its treatment of multiple layers. The suspects have been written with enough care. This particularly holds true of Chitragandha Singh. She is one of the four survivors. Chitragandha’s Meera is an ambiguous woman with deep bitterness. Meera covers this deep resentment under the guise of spirituality. Chitragandha aces the part with the required mysteriousness keeping the viewers guessing about her motivations.

Screenshot

Deepti Naval plays a supposed preacher moddled on fake godmen. This character is reminiscent of movies and web featuring fake babas exploiting people’s vulnerabilities. There is nothing particularly new here, but the senior actress plays her role with the required charm.

Mention must also be made of Sanjay Kapoor as a relative. His eyes are set on the fortunes of Bansali family. Both the character and the actor don’t come across as a stereotypical villain. There is a casual entitlement wonderfully portrayed by the actor. His role and the track cover the theme of moral shortcuts justified in the name of lineage.

There is no denying that Raat Akeli Hai (The Bansal Murders) suffers somewhat on the pacing front. The first part had a tight structure with not much meandering. The second one though needed more crispness. The portions involving Rajat Kapoor and Akhilendra Mishra overstay their welcome. The same applies to the track involving the nitty gritty of forensics. Radhika Apte has an extended special appearance meant to show a personal side of Jatil Yadav. These scenes have some nice touches but in the bigger picture the track doesn’t contribute much. Proceedings stagnate for a while: thankfully though the movie regains lost ground when the focus shifts to environmental destruction.

The themes of industrial pollution and a certain apathy towards environment has come out well. It makes the viewers ponder about where we are heading. Most importantly Honey Trehan and Smita Singh do a good job in linking these portions with the main murder plot. Special mention must also be made of the scenes featuring Revathy as a forensic expert. She plays a moral counterpart to Jatil Yadav’s superiors. The scenes featuring her and Nawazuddin gives the movie some of its best moments.

As Jatil Yadav Nawazuddin Sidddiqui successfully takes off from the first movie. He plays the determined cop with his trademark gravity. He especially shines in the scenes of the character finding itself at crossroads torn between the pressures of institution while listening to his personal consciousness.

Among the technical departments Sirsha Ray’s cinematography is suitably eerie. The cinematography helps in building up a mysterious atmosphere.

Final word: Raat Akeli Hai (The Bansal Murders) is a competent follow up. For fans of murder mysteries with social angles its very much worth watching.

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Ullozhukku: A gripping drama about human frailties

The torrential rains become a metaphor for the buried secrets resurfacing amidst the grief. Both Parvathy Thiruvothu and Urvasi are exemplary in their respective parts

Ullozhukku written and directed by Christo Tomy has all the characteristics of a plot set against a funeral background. The movie is now streaming on Amazon Prime. Anju (Parvathy Thirovutu) is married to Thomaskutty (Prasant Murali). Although married she is still in touch with her lover Rajeev (Arjun Radhakrishnan). They are having an affair behind the back of Anju’s mother- in law Leelamma (Urvasi). Things take a drastic turn with the death of Thomaskutty. He was suffering from a major disease that eventually took his life. On top of this Anju finds out she is carrying Rajeev’s child few days before Thomaskutty’s death. This is the story in brief.

Anju married to Thomaskutty

A strong aspect of Ullozhukku are the flawed characters, through the various flawed humans the director has touched upon grief, desire, honor, freedom etc. For traditionalists it would be tough to digest Anju’s serious relationship with the boyfriend while being a married woman, however the director has fleshed out Anju’s love in a wonderful manner. At one point she even decides to elope with Rajeev while Leelamma’s family are still grieving. Again, on surface Anju’s actions may across as selfish but as viewers you understand her desperation.

Similarly, even Leelamma has her own weaknesses too. Leelamma has an abundance of love towards Anju but at the same time she is not able to see her daughter- in laws struggles. There are also some casual dialogues regarding class divide flunked by Leelamma in her anger.

Leelamma has an abundance of love towards Anju but at the same time she is not able to see her daughter in laws sufferings

The portions of Parvathy and Uravasi are easily a major highlight of this movie. There is no heavy melodrama yet the scenes featuring them are a treat to watch.

Another character worth mentioning here is Anju’s father played by Alencier. Alencier pretends to be noble but at the same time he cannot stand the thought of his daughter marrying a Hindu.

Shehnad Jala’s cinematography is of a very fine standard too. Through his lens he affectively the tension within the house and also the frames of flood. The music and background score of Sushin Shyam also enhances the movie.

The one minor issue with the movie is that of Arjun Radhakrishnan. His character of Rajeev starts off as an honest lover willing to wait for Anju but there is a sudden shift which feels convoluted. Yes the viewers understand that Rajeev lacks financial security but still the character change comes across as rather odd.

Both Parvathy Thiruvothu and Urvasi are exemplary in their respective parts. Anju is someone who wants to live life on her own terms but still seeks validation from parents. Parvarthy portrays Anju’s vulnerabilities and determination with her trademark intensity. On the other hand, Uravasi effortlessly switches between a loving mother-in-law and also a possessive mother. No wonder both the actresses have won best actor awards at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne and the Kerala State Awards respectively.