POPCORN REVIEWSS

Written by Tanmaya Shekhar, Nukkad Naatak can be viewed as a couple of films crammed into a single film. But such is the sincerity of the writing, that you are still willing to be emotionally invested in the drama and its characters. For instance, the coming of age story of both protagonists Molshri and Shivang coincides with a common trait of being naive and oblivious of how the world around them functions. Given the character traits, it is Molshri who remains a dominant one in her equation with Shivang.

So whilst the latter remains subdued, the activist in Molshri rises to the occasion – helping Shivang overcome a bunch of bullies while absorbing him in her Nukkad Naatak. In fact, even the grain of morality is dictated by Molshri simply given how she is programmed at the start. She remains an idealist who wishes to change the world around here by hook or by crook, contrary to her yang who reminded me of Raju Rastogi from 3 Idiots (2009) in a very different light! Even after the ‘stealing’ incident when both the protagonists are reprimanded and almost expelled, you see Molshri holding onto that last strand simply because of the idealistic world that she chooses to live in.

The core conflict remains simple – both Molshri and Shivang are tasked with enrolling five children from a nearby slum into a school, a task that feels simpler than it actually is. In a subtly hilarious scene, when the Dean (Danish Husain) inquires about their research of poverty in the wake of education, both Molshri and Shivang reference the internet and documentaries for their source of information. It remains similar to the infinite film critics who haven’t consumed enough cinema but are still entitled and trusted with their opinions. But more importantly at the start, both protagonists do not view this as an opportunity to learn but simply a task bartered to get back to college. Hence despite all difficulties including the parents refusal of allowing their kids to study simply because it would reduce their daily income, the dynamic duo find a way to self fund the admissions.

Given that this is a coming of age story, the writing also branches into the individual arcs of the protagonists. Interestingly the better arc is of Molshri that rides on her wave of activism and idealism to literally trace the journey of a young girl from the slums whom she had previous helped getting admission. And hence her transformation from being a rebel to a teacher coincides with a change that she witnesses in front of her. It is imperative to note on how her definition of activism and idealism changes too – she doesn’t believe in changing the whole world, instead taking baby steps to transform the life of a single child.

In a sharp contrast, the writing loses its steam with the arc of Shivang that doesn’t really circle back to the main plot. My issue remained on how isolated his arc turned out to be, almost seemingly being a part of another movie altogether. At no point could I completely feel a sense of empathy for Shivang, even as he miraculously and abruptly finds himself to be a part of the LGBTQ+ club in college. The arc felt abrupt and mildly gimmicky given how he is also shown to type an email to his dead grandfather.

However, I liked how the ending of the film encapsulated the spirit of the drama that echoed the use of art to portray a sense of activism in a positive sense for the society. It remained an idea of staying back for a change as opposed to opting for better opportunities abroad, an event that felt grounded in the context of the drama. The sequence although abrupt, felt like an earnest attempt – something that did reflect in the overall journey as well.