Hulla

This is the week of the small film doing big things. Hulla, directed by debutant Jaideep Varma, is another welcome step towards getting back to celluloid centre-stage real people, real motives and real problems.

Smart broker Raj Sushant moves in with his wife Abha Kartika to a far-flung but nice suburban housing society. That8217;s not enough for her South Mumbai parents, but she8217;s fine till he8217;s fine. And then one fine day, he8217;s not. The building8217;s night watchman whistles too loudly. Raj can8217;t sleep. He petitions the society8217;s self-important secretary Janardhan Rajat to get the fellow to stop. He acquires dark circles and a pounding head. He tries explaining his troubles to a colleague and friend Vrajesh, to his irate boss, to a cop at the local police station, to anyone who will listen. And finds only noise.

Hulla reminds you of the middle-of-the-road cinema that lit up the 70s: it has a very Sai Paranjpye-ish feel to it. The plot8217;s simple. But the treatment makes it a whimsical, affectionate study of people. As they are, and as they8217;d like others to see them. The film does slow down in the second half, and gets a tad repetitive, but keeps you with it.

And it brings to your attention the actors who never get their due in today8217;s mainstream cinema. Kartika is fresh and perky. Sushant Singh is very good. But the real surprise in this package is Rajat Kapoor, who delivers a pitch-perfect performance as a man whose identity depends upon his designation, on what he can paint on his entrance plate below his name.

Jaideep Varma took many years to get this one out. His second should be sooner.

shubhra.guptagmail.com