Ghamasaan
Introduction
The opening sequence of Ghamasaan is an unconventional one given that you are neither quite introduced to the ‘hunter’ or the ‘savior’. Instead, it marks a reunion of a family that are casually interacting with each other. Through their conversations you get to know that a character is willing to relocate to a metro city even as his parents aren’t in full agreement. During this conversation, there is only a hint dropped about a certain ‘Maharaj’ who is referenced as a figure ‘who has given his regards’. The reference is frugal to begin with even as the atmospherics reek of tension in the narrative. As the drama progresses with the period being of the mid 2000s, you are thrown hints at about the antagonist who has wrecked havoc in the village through a character who had lost his eye after having betrayed him. You definitely get a clear picture of the prevalent terror in the village before the drama shifts POVs to the protagonist, an honest cop that has his own montage to boast of through a thrilling ‘independent’ sequence. It is clear of what the drama holds for its viewers going forward.
Story & Screenplay
Based on true events, Ghamasaan is essentially a cat and mouse chase between two parties – the most wanted dacoit who has wrecked havoc in a village, and the IPS officer who is tasked to overcome him. The writing here definitely maintains a grip in the narrative although the flow in the drama isn’t exactly seamless. In quite a few portions of the film, I did feel that certain sequences didn’t perfectly blend with the main story, although I must say that the same sequences do work on an individual basis. There is definitely a sense of palpable tension in the drama even as the stakes in the drama are deftly raised with another brutal killing at the hands of Maharaj that definitely had me invested in the drama. But at the same time, the momentum slightly dips when the focus shifts to a love-story in the drama that has little to no relevance in the overall scheme of things. This pattern is essentially observed till the two worlds collide, post which there coherence in the drama does return to base.
An interesting facet of the drama lies with the underlying layer of politics and power that rules the area. Quite honestly, this is the comfort zone for filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia who has thrived on these subjects with films like Haasil or Paan Singh Tomar, each of which have an underlying layer of politics driving the narrative. The case in point being the onset of elections here that is used as a catalyst both for Maharaj (Arshad Warsi) and Aditya (Pratik Gandhi), and their respective worlds to collide. The contrasting character traits of each of the two characters does promise for a scintillating face-off, particularly after the writers choose to further raise the stakes in the drama with respect to a few more killings that terrorizes the village. Here, I must also add that a few of the other characters aren’t as well written, and often reduced to the background particularly because none of them are tasked with an identity of their own, or more specifically the limitation of the film medium that doesn’t quite allow a few characters to fully bloom.
The proceedings are interesting and gripping especially in the combat sequence after the halfway mark that truly held my attention. That was the turning point in the drama too that shifts gears with respect to its two central characters while further intensifying the game of cat and mouse. The reason here is personal, and even though there is a deft reference of politics prevalent in the police force too, the writing remains consistent with the character traits of the Maharaj and Aditya, that essentially forms the rest of the film. There are a few needless subplots like Maharaj’s men kidnapping Aditya’s wife and letting her go with a warning, somethijg that didn’t add enough meat to the proceedings. Having said that, the comic relief provided by one of the characters was pretty interesting and nicely integrated in the drama.
I personally did like the buildup in the final act even as a plan is hatched to counter the culprit even as he remains an unknown entity to the cops. And to allow a character to help them trace their way to the hideout of Maharaj was also a pretty interesting setup, given that there was always a sense of anticipation from the viewer’s perspective. You know the writing and filmmaking collectively hit home when a certain action by a character followed by a reaction (keeping it vague to avoid spoilers) was met with a rousing round of applause by the capacity crowd. And even though I was a little on the fence with the drama that unfolded post that, something that I thought was predictable and simplistic, it did round up the screenplay that was gripping, and with a few more tweaks it would have been sensational.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are sharp and deeply rooted to the area where the drama is set in. The music and the BGM are adequate and both work well in the context of the drama. The cinematography comprises of frames that are decent too although the envelope could have been pushed further while showcasing gore, blood and violence, each of which transpire off the camera. But one of the weakest aspects of the drama for me has to be the editing that was woeful. The idea to have multiple cuts in a single scene did ruin the impact to a large extent. In a scene, I remember counting as many as 7 cuts which was atrocious. The idea needed to be to allow the scene to linger on by playing with the psyche of the viewers in terms of the tension that was definitely in play. But by adding multiple cuts at regular junctures, the building momentum of tension never reached its true potential, while being one of the major culprits in reducing the overall impact of the drama. Director Tigmanshu Dhulia does a good job here although this isn’t his best outing yet. The narrative style is slightly old school especially with the fragmented opening sequences that had individual homages paid to the characters, but to his credit, he does create quite a few moments by maintaining a grip on the narrative that works in favour of the drama. There are a few adrenaline rushing moments created too particularly that one at the end, that definitely is praise-worthy. Overall, the direction does make a splash although it may not be the best piece of direction that I have witnessed this year.
Performances
The performances are pretty good here by the ensemble cast although not all characters have well written arcs in the film. Seema Azmi has her moments to shine despite a limited screentime. Anurag Thakur is really impressive in a character that goes through a roller coaster of emotions due to a personal loss, only to join the procession by being rebellious. There was definitely a punch that he packs in his character. Jatin Goswami is intimidating to the core and does a stupendous job here as Maharaj’s henchman who is brutal to the core. Ishita Dutta has a sweet little screen presence and she does a good job here despite not having a drastic impact on the overall screenplay. Rajpal.Yadav and his knack of absolutely being a show-stealer continues. What starts off as a fringe character of sorts, soon turns out to be a blast in the second hour, all due to the amazing acting chops of Rajpal Yadav. His comic timing is sharp while respecting the surroundings, and playing along the lines with it wonderfully well. Pratik Gandhi as Aditya is amazing to witness as well. There is a sense of calmness and assertiveness when he is onscreen, and his giant screen presence really accounts for a splendid outing that has his range of emotions on point. Arshad Warsi as Maharaj is a revelation, a character that has no redemption while being extremely brutal with his actions. There is a sense of pride and intimidation that you associate with the character, wonderfully brought out by a powerful body language and wicked expressions. The performance was so good that it would infuriate you even as you revel in his sinister presence.
Conclusion
As a part of our MAMI coverage, Ghamasaan is a gripping police procedural with good performances that makes for a worthy watch. And had the editing of the drama been several notches better, the impact of this drama would have been even higher.