420 IPC
RATING
Introduction
Another Friday and we have a set of new releases with two biggies Spiderman No Way Home and Pushpa The Rise out. But with these two biggies there are several releases that we have our eyes on, so lets get started and nail them one by one. First up, I have finished watching the new Hindi film 420 IPC on Zee5. After the success of Scam 1992, the new genre of crime on money laundering has been unlocked. While we did have Big Bull on the same subject, 420 IPC might just well mark the beginning of many other films to follow. I must be honest here – one thing that drew me to this film was the stellar cast here. Comprising of more than one veterans, this one promised to be an engaging affair. To top it, this film is directed by Manish Gupta who has films like The Stoneman Murders and Rahasya to his credit. Does with a lot riding on the film, does it manage to impress, stay tuned. Here is the 420 IPC movie review!
Story & Screenplay
420 IPC is essentially a courtroom drama where a CA is accused in a money laundering case. Nothing is what it seems. The story is taut and extremely engaging right from the word go. The screenplay standing at a shade under 100 minutes is taut. What that does is that it doesn’t allow you to breathe and offers little to no respite. You are completely engaged from scene number one. The screenplay is kept very simple here with no jargons of finance thrown in unlike Scam 1992 which works in its favour. The drama and particularly the courtroom scenes are handled with a sense of authenticity. The twists and turns that the drama was to offer will definitely keep you hooked and booked throughout. What seems like a simple case keeps getting interesting with one helluva twist at the end which you did not see it coming. It is potentially a twist that would leave you in a dilemma as well. On the downside, some of the characters lack a bit of depth but these are minor flaws in an extremely well written screenplay.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The film has a screenplay that moves swiftly at a break neck pace but the proceedings are conversational. The dialogues evoke that sense of intetest in the drama and never does it get too preachy or melodramatic at any stage. In other words, the dialogues are well written and make an impact. There are no unnecessary songs to stall the flow of the drama but the BGM is pretty good and keeps you engaged throughout. The production design gives the audience an impression of a low budget film and that at times does bother you. Director Manish Gupta is known for these taut drama thriller if you have been following his filmography. Here he is in top form maintaining a strong hold on the drama and just not letting it go. And that final twist came out of nowhere which means a green tick in the report card as far as the direction is concerned.
Performances
The performances by the stellar cast is outstanding. Muskaan Khubchandani as Birbal’s assistant has her moments to shine. Vidhi Chitalia as Manali is excellent in her limited screen space. Arif Zakaria is such a brilliant actor and it is always a pleasure to watch him. He looks at so much ease in front of the camera. Ranvir Shorey as Jamshedji again is fantastic. His Parsi accent seemed slightly odd at the very beginning but after a point it didn’t bother me. He wad consistent with his speech and that made an instant impact to his overall performance. Gul Panag as Pooja is pretty well restrained here and she does a good job. Vinay Pathak as Bansi was a case of great casting here. The man demands sympathy throughout in what turns out to be a very layered performance. Rohan Vinod Mehra as Birbal had a typical name to his character which wasn’t much needed. Bit he puts forth a good performance in his second outing on celluloid. Maybe if he could work a bit on his expressions, he would be an even better actor but overall a good job done.
Conclusion
420 IPC is a taut and engaging drama that will keep you on tenterhooks throughout. Available on Zee5.