- Date of Release: 01 March 2024
- Genre: Action, Drama
- Language: Hindi
Dange
Introduction
Can a film be underwhelming with its writing but extremely watchable and almost rewarding with its treatment? – Yes! The weekend has come and gone but it has indeed been a special one owing to a string of releases, all of which have made a mark with its content. If it was The Indrani Mukerjea Story to begin with, Dune – Part Two, Laapataa Ladies and the Netflix show Maamla Legal Hai ensured that the momentum did not dip. Just to wrap up the weekend, I decided to watch the third theatrical release of the week, the Hindi film Dange which is directed by Bejoy Nambiar. If you are aware of the filmography of Bejoy, then you would know the kind of eccentricity that he brings to the table with the treatment of the films. This, while the screenplays of his films are more or less simplistic. With Dange, he does foray in the student politics space, something that was previously covered in a film like Yuva directed by Mani Ratnam. What was interesting was that Bejoy opted for a bilingual as well in the form of the Tamil film Por which had a simultaneous release just like Yuva. The theme of the film did look promising, much on the lines of the Malayalam film Thallumaala with the tagline of Dange being ‘Pick A Side’. With much anticipation, I ventured into the film Dange hoping that the writing of the film will score along with the Bejoy Nambiar trademark eccentricity…..does it manage to impress, let’s find out.
Story & Screenplay
Dange follows the story of two rivals set against the backdrop of student politics at a college in Goa. Will they find a way to reconcile? The story here was interesting on paper, however I couldn’t help but think that it was a difficult deal in incorporating multiple subplots in the lives of the characters, all of it crammed inside 150 minutes. Hence, this story would have worked better in the longer webseries format which would have given the writers breathing space to justify the multiple threads that were open. This is not to say that the writing is bad at all, it does tap into an interesting territory and is extremely watchable. My issue was that because of the multiple subplots and in trying to be everything at the same time(a love story, a political drama, a chaotic rivalry), it lost the essence of a focused narration that would have lead to a better investment from the viewers point of view. As a result, the plots are only surface level while the presentation remains top notch!
The drama is essentially divided into chapters with each chapter dedicated to either a character or a subplot that unfolds along the way. This made me realise that the writers were atleast self-aware of what was in front of them versus what they could have done to salvage the situation and cram the proceedings inside 150 minutes. So you are introduced to one of the two protagonists, a senior of the campus indulging in psychedelic substances while not quite having a plan to pass out of college, given his insecurity and vulnerability with the outside world(a la Aamir Khan from Rang De Basanti). On the other hand, you are introduced to the other protagonist, a fresher who is rebellious and doesn’t take the seniors’ ragging too kindly by revolting against them. The link between the two? Both are bound together by an incident that had transpired in their childhood, that forms a basis of their newfound rivalry in college.
The proceedings are interesting even with the multiple subplots in play, revolving around the student politics transpiring on the campus amidst a few budding love stories. The biggest strength of the writing for me was the characterization that gave as much importance to other characters as much as the protagonists. This made me realise that probably the screenplay may have been designed for a webseries in the first place before a potential pivot by the studio(and I might be totally wrong here). There was so much potential in exploring the different dynamics of the characters by either reducing the number of the subplots or solely focusing on the core of the drama which was the rivalry between the two leads. This would have changed the complexion of the drama by venturing deeper into a few issues instead of being surface level at any given subplot.
The one-upmanship between the two protagonists was definitely there, being allowed to simmer throughout its runtime, although the conflict from a writing perspective wasn’t as inviting(or should I say staged as well as it should have). Hence, the shifting dynamics related to all characters became as much important in driving home the narrative which at the end was decently well achieved. Usually, Bejoy Nambiar’s screenplays falter towards the concluding moments but it is exactly the opposite here. The final 30 minutes are absolute bonkers, something that is so rewarding in an otherwise mid screenplay when the actual chaos ensues during the college festival. Previously, I haven’t seen a sequence so seamlessly tied up together starting from the college campus to the eventual ground where a riot breaks out. That was the kind of high that I was expecting at various junctures in the screenplay but without much avail. This entire sequence alone made the film a worthy watch thus summing up the screenplay that could have been so much more better but salvaged by its presentation at the end!
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are conversational but sharp and they make for an accurate representation of the current generation in the college politics space. The music is quite good and boasts of an underrated soundtrack that goes perfectly with the mood of the drama. The BGM is outstanding to the core and I was amazed at how well the world was understood and denoted through the psychedelic notes that represented the vibe of the setting almost perfectly. The cinematography is phenomenal with the use of multiple drone shots to add to the intensity of the drama. The frames featuring scene transitions at the end were brilliant coupled with a wide angle shot to depict the chaos which was equally good. The tinge of shocking pink and red hues complimenting the frames added a tinge of eccentricity to the proceedings.
The editing is absolutely spot on and the editor here deserves a raise for his incredibly sharp transition cuts that gave the viewers an impression of a 15 to 20 minute single take sequence towards the end of the film. There is so much to like here in the technical department who have salvaged the film amd how! Director Bejoy Nambiar does a good job but I wouldn’t say he was at his absolute best. He is known to accompany his frames with the right amount of style which he efficiently does here as well. But from a screenplay perspective, he wasn’t quite able to lift the drama(until the eccentric final act) and that may have been due to quite a few subplots that may have been difficult to control and justify. Nevertheless, Bejoy is indeed a one of a kind director who needs to be encouraged because of his style of filmmaking that is unique only to him. The direction here was good but could have been better.
Performances
The performances are phenomenal by the ensemble cast. Paavani Atrey as Anusuya, Omna Harjani as Sister Sarah, Rohan Manoj, Siddharth Menon as Kabir and Shreema Upadhyaya as Bhama have their moments to shine. Nakul Sahdev as Bosco brings along bouts of intensity to his character and does a fine job here. Taniya Kalrra as Ambika is very well restrained and does a swell job. Ruchi Malviya as Ritu has a good screen presence and she makes her presence felt despite a limited screen time. Teena Singh as Bhavna is wonderfully well restrained in a good job done.
Keshav Lokwani as Bala is really good and he brings forth his vulnerability really well. Mridul Das as Arjun is excellent as well in a great job done overall. Zoa Morani as Siddhi is decent as is KC Shankar as her father and both make their presence felt. TJ Bhanu as Gayatri delivers another dignified performance without trying to go overboard. She is assertive and prolific in a character that imbibes all the shortcomings around her. Nikita Dutta as Rishika looks pretty and does a great job despite her character being a touch underwritten. But it is her acting prowess that hides the flaws of her characterization in what was a brilliant job done.
Ehan Bhat as Yuva is absolutely brilliant with a towering screen presence wherein he really commands your attention. He brings forth right amounts of intensity to his character while allowing it to simmer until the finale wherein he went bonkers. Harshvardhan Rane is such a phenomenal actor who really is underutilized to this point. But this performance as Xavier is another timely reminder on what he can achieve if his character is written in a certain way. He has a range of emotions that he dabbles with, often putting on a tough exterior and putting his insecurities deep within him while only briefly bringing it to the fore. These were complex emotions that needed a highly skilled actor to pull them off and Harsh was simply phenomenal here. A word to all casting directors if they are reading this – please cast Harshvardhan in more such meaty roles, the man can really move mountains with his craft.
Conclusion
Boasting of great performances, Dange is a flawed but stylized chaotic drama with the backdrop of student politics that makes for a decent one-time watch. The subject had so much potential but the screenplay in trying to do a lot, doesn’t quite venture into the required depth for a lasting impact. But the style more than makes for a worthy watch including those eccentric final 30 minutes. A lot to like here as well! Available in a theatre near you.
