Raghuveer (Raj Singh Chaudhary) is about to get his IAS (Civil Services) degree,and his father Madhukar (Vinay Pathak) is looking at marriage prospects for the eligible bachelor. He turns down a proposal from Mahendra Babu (Akhilendra Mishra) because of the low dowry he is offering and also tells his son that he cannot marry his Punjabi girlfriend from Delhi (where he is studying) just because he has made a promise to her. The Punjabi girlfriend,Sia (Himanshi) is pregnant with Raghuveers child,and an angry Raghuveer,who has come to visit his parents in the village,leaves home in a huff. He is,however,kidnapped by Mahendras men. Beaten and bullied repeatedly,he is then married in a drunken stupor to Janki (Swati Sen) and when he refuses to toe the line even then and consummate the marriage,he is forcibly inebriated. In that state,he forces himself on Janki. Janki is happy (!) that they are wife and husband (!!) at last. With everyones guard down,Raghuveer runs away,but his girlfriend now rejects him. A desperate Mahendra takes his daughter to Madhukar who again insults him. Mahendra finally suggests to Janki that she abort the child so that he can get her another husband. But now Janki decides to take charge of her life. The issue of educated bachelors being kidnapped in Bihar is a social bane even today,and this film claims to be inspired from a true story. However,such issue-based films need two qualities besides the realism - a gripping audience connect and the honesty of conviction. And this film lacks both. Consider the logical elements: such realistic films cannot escape a stricter scrutiny of their scripts compared to commercial entertainers since they are dealing realistically with serious social problems. Janki becomes pregnant after a single night,Raghuveer escapes too easily (minus visible means like money) from his kidnappers,and even the way Madhukar only threatens but absurdly does not take criminal action against Mahendra when his son informs him about the truth. Also,Raghuveer is kidnapped at dead of night. Could someone kindly explain how Mahendras henchmen knew that Raghuveer would leave his house in the middle of the night? Were they on vigil 24/7 from the same day? Also,even if a socially-committed cinema offers such slices of life,feature films are about storytelling and a clear and logical/gratifying end is a minimum requirement. The movie overlooks the criminal aspects of the social evil completely and stops at an open,very inconclusive end in the name of realism. If thats the case,why not make a documentary on the problem? The bright spots in the film are the sporadic and truly disturbing segments that come at intervals,like the utter disdain of Mahendra for the law,the ruthless assaults on the groom-to-be,the complete male chauvinism in Mahendras household and the impotence of Jankis brother in the throes of a moral dilemma. Happily,the writers eschew expletives in the name of realism. The DOP Malay Ray and art directors D.K Singh and Rajeev Dwivedi deserve pats,as does most of Bapi-Tutuls background music. But editor Aseem Sinha too frequently allows the film to drag and crawl,adding to lots of tedium where grip and emotional intensity were needed instead. The seasoned actors (Vinay Pathak and Akhilendra Mishra) as well as the new faces (Jankis brother,Neelima as her mother) are competent. Jaya Bhattacharya impresses,and Swati Sen and Himanshi too are okay. But the film relies on Raj Singh Chaudhary as the protagonist and he fortunately makes the film a fair watch with a consumate performance. This is his show all the way. Rating: One star for Raj Singh Chaudhary,and one for the authentic atmosphere.
