Sonchiriya

Sonchiriya

CAST:	Sushant Singh Rajput, Bhumi Pednekar, Manoj Bajpayee, Ranvir Shorey and Ashutosh Rana
DIRECTION:	Abhishek Chaubey
GENRE:	Drama, Action
DURATION:	2 hours 23 minutes

Set in the ’70s during the Emergency era, Sonchiriya is a story based in Chambal, which has long been the favourite playing field of directors wanting to channel their inner Sergio Leone and whip up a hardcore Western. Maan Singh (Manoj Bajpayee), is the leader of a merry band of dacoits, only they call themselves baaghi (rebel). Their rebellion exists at an existential level, as more often than not they are men running away from themselves, from their circumstances. Lakhna (Sushant Singh Rajput) and Vakil (Ranvir Shorey) are his trusted lieutenants. Virender Gujjar (Ashutosh Rana), a policeman has a personal vendetta against them and has vowed to kill them come hell or high water. Their lives take a turn when they help a woman (Bhumi Pednekar), who had stumbled into Chambal carrying a sick girl. Nothing is what it seems and various interpretations of truth come tumbling out as the narrative goes back and forth in time. 

While the film continues Bollywood's romance with daakus, the treatment is relatively fresh and more realistic. However, director Abhishek Chaubey, who has co-written the film along with Sudip Sharma, has done his bit to build into the myth of the dacoits. They are shown to be men of high conscience who will do their utmost to hold onto the promise once given, who never harm women and children, and are staunch worshippers of the Goddess. He has thrown in the fact that even dacoits follow caste lines. They are wary of other castes and even form gangs based on caste. The film's dialogue are in Bundelkhandi dialect, which might be hard to follow for some, though English subtitles have been provided. The film is a morality tale at one level, telling you that Karma is going to catch up with you no matter what. The film also tries to deglam the life of dacoits. A character points out that the outlaws are unnecessarily glamourised. He adds that people doing so know nothing of the actual hardships faced by dacoits. It's shot in location and Chambal becomes a character of sorts in the film. The harsh, unrelenting landscape mirrors the hard life of its denizens. Cinematography by Anuj Rakesh Dhawan has captured the haunting beauty of the place effectively. The action is almost continuous, what with bullets flying from the first frame to the last. 

The film boasts of superlative acting by the entire cast. Manoj Bajpayee is excellent as the guilt-ridden commander of the rebels, letting his eyes bring to surface his inner turmoil. Ranvir Shorey, as his hot-headed colleague lives and breathes his role. Bhumi Pednekar is fine as the gutsy woman who isn't afraid to die for what she believes in. And Sushant Singh Rajput too is a natural in his role of a rebel among rebels, someone who holds high to the principles of being a baaghi. The no-name actors who surround these stars have given fine performances as well. 

All-in-all, Sonchiriya offers a potent blend of dacoit drama, karmic lesson and caste politics with some realistic action thrown in for good measure. The performances alone are worth the price of the ticket.