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Based on the real-life trial and conviction of a self-styled ‘godman’ Asaram Bapu who preyed upon naïve young women, and their even more gullible parents, Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai has a vein of sensitivity running through it. And that’s a crucial element when the subject is such, whose treatment could so easily turn problematic.
Nu (Adrija) and her parents (Jaihind Kumar and Durga Sharma, as the father and mother respectively) are representative of millions of Indians who venerate these ‘godmen’, and fetch up at their doorstep in the hope the latter will ‘cure’ their young women of their ‘problems’. The situation is ripe for exploitation, and there have been countless instances of rape and molestation that have been shoved under the carpet because of countless reasons — the fear of social opprobrium, as well as the problems that occur when the victims take the legal route, ranging from expense to humiliation.
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At no point does the film make us queasy when Nu is on screen, in court and outside it. But, and this is also the trouble with the film, that there’s not enough focus on the girl and her trauma, which we see only through the eyes of her morally upright lawyer P C Solanki (Manoj Bajpayee). Despite all kinds of pressures, including a threat to his life, he sees her case through for five long years, as it drags through the tardy Indian justice system with its predilection for delays, especially when it comes to protecting the rich and powerful.
The film is set in Jodhpur, and from Solanki’s terrace, the grand Mehrangarh fort is visible, giving us a real sense of place. The tentacles of the Baba and his cohorts are spread through the town: we see his hired goons going after those who are about to give evidence against him, and the smooth, sophisticated legal eagles fighting his case.
But this is one film where the good wins, and the bad loses. Bajpayee slips smoothly into the role of Solanki, a devout Shiv bhakt, and a man not above wanting to make a good impression on the famous lawyers arrayed against him. He is human, he gets scared, and loses his temper when things go out of control. But at his core, he is an honest man who cannot be bought or swayed, with a lively relationship with his son, though you wish he wasn’t called ‘Buddy’ in a self-consciously ‘cool’ move, which comes off clunky. And I wanted to see more of Nu, played by Adrija so well.
Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai movie cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Adrija, Kaustuv Sinha, Surya Mohan Kulshrestha, Jaihind Kumar, Durga Sharma
Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai movie director: Apoorv Singh Karki
Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai movie rating: 2.5 stars
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