Shriram Iyengar
Mumbai, 14 Oct 2017 12:39 IST
Director Amshan Kumar fails to handle the subject astutely and delivers a film not many will be happy with.
One of the advantages of a film festival is that it provides a platform for politically charged projects which may otherwise not always make it to the big screen. Manusangada (Cry Humanity) is one such film that takes on the age-old casteism still prevalent in several villages of Tamil Nadu. However, despite the powerful story, the film fails to make an impact due to poor acting and weak camera handling.
The story begins with Kolappan, an employee in a Chennai engineering company, who receives news of his father's death. He returns to the native village only to find the burial being delayed. The upper-caste landlords refuse to allow Kolappan to carry his father's body through the common pathway running through the village. While the families of his caste, and Kolappan, decide to take a stand, the casteist system unites to make them bow down again.
The plot and the story seem rivetting, but the manner in which the film is shot and performed make it very difficult for the audience to sit through it. The performances are incredibly hammy and seem amateurish.
Amshan Kumar, a National award-winning filmmaker and writer, fails to make an impact with his camera techniques. The camera wanders all over the place, often including scenes that are unnecessary to the plot. There are also the jarring, shaking visuals that drive you further away from the story.
However, the story's fiery heart does capture your attention and the portrayal of the caste system is effective. The story captures the conundrum of the age-old system that has seeped into officers, the police and lawyers, making it very difficult to implement the law of equality in the first place. The title Manusangada, which means the law of Manu, is a direct reference to the infamous writ of Manu that refuses to loosen its grip on Hindu society and let the Constitution of India take over.
With the recent murders of a Dalit couple in Tamil Nadu, it is hard to see a more relevant story on a global platform. However, director Amshan Kumar fails to handle it astutely and delivers a film not many will be happy with.
Manusangada was screened at the 19th MAMI Mumbai Film Festival on 13 October 2017.