Stunned and dumbfounded, we all had gaped at our television sets when a teary-eyed Aamir Khan overwhelmed us with the story of Dashrath Manjhi. From newspaper headlines to sappy reality television to finally having a biopic to his credit, the legendary man whose name has emerged out of oblivion quite recently, has posthumously achieved his rightful share of laurels.
So, is Ketan Mehta’s biopic a mere celebration of a single man’s accomplishments? The film is a cinematic tribute to one man’s everlasting love for his deceased wife, his determination and his perseverance, but leaves by a larger message. Is Ketan making us hero worship? Probably, yes; but not before he gives us a perceptive account of what heroes are all about. Afterall, heroes aren’t larger than life celebrities whom we erect on pedestals for delivering box-office blockbusters. Heroes are men like Manjhi who have the strength to break mountains. It is half job done for Mehta who chose this strikingly alluring story, with a leading man who knows how to up his game with a performance which never strikes a false note. Nawazuddin Siddiqui earns a bow for his first-rate act.
The film benefits from an inspired plotline. Mehta’s skill only additionally sharpens the nuances of the narrative. The film flaunts on its sleeve, the perfectly earthen, dusty and rustic frames which are quick to suck its viewers into the marvelous story that mixes well with the film’s smashing performances.
Manjhi – The Mountain Man’s legend is something we are now well-acquainted with, courtesy all the media hype around it. The man who single-handedly carved a path out of a mountain, where his beloved wife was killed in an accident is a modern day love saga which defeats Shah Jahan’s pompous Taj Mahal tale. In one of the earlier scenes in the film, Dashrath during his courtship days gifts his fiancé (later wife) a replica of the marble marvel. Mehta uses the idea later in the story to highlight how Manjhi toiling with the chisel qualifies as a better parable about poignant love. Mehta keeps the message subtle and yet the movie emerges as persuasive.
The film might be brimming with umpteen positives, but it still gets flaky and paper-thin in the later half. As Mehta conjures up the momentum, the film drags around the same scenes over-and-over-again, conveying nothing new. This repetitive quality erodes the film’s inventiveness. The sub-plots, replete with villainy, seem abrupt and dilute the narrative. Somewhere, in those parts of the movie, Mehta loses focus. Instead of highlighting the hero, his attention shifts towards the miscreants. Also, Manjhi’s bond with the mountain remains constant for most part of the film, but his children who ideally should’ve been a big part of the story, never occupy the center-stage. If you sense a lack of palpability, you aren’t wrong. The film immerses itself full length in Majhi’s labour, and ends up abrading its soul. It climaxes on a momentous note nevertheless, with Manjhi’s epoch-making statement ‘Bhagwan ke bharose mat baitho, kya pata Bhagwan khud tumhare bharosey batha ho’. But, at more than 2 hours, the film feels heavier than it should, minus the verve it started off with.
Biopics are completely dependent on its leading man and Nawazuddin maintains the film’s balance with his outstanding depiction of the titular character. His desperation is bang on and he is flawless in scenes where he is relentlessly looking for water or where he cuts his finger. Nawazuddin’s Manjhi is a regular man who accomplishes an insurmountable task without making tall speeches or orating heavy sermons. Radhika Apte, is impressive in most scenes. The scene where she slaps Nawazuddin, the lady is nothing short of phenomenal. Nawaz, who has always claimed to be a romantic at heart shines in the film’s former part involving Radhika. Their unlikely chemistry is a hit! Tigmanshu Dhulia, in a thankless role, is adequate.
