Director – Navdeep Singh
Cast – Saif Ali Khan,
Manav Vij, Deepak Dobriyal, Zoya Hussain, Simone Singh, Aamir Bashir, Milind Dastane, Madan Deodhar and others
Laal Kaptaan is probably
one of the most underrated films of 2019. It didn’t do well at the box office, but
is by far the best ‘Western’ ever made by an Indian filmmaker. A few
years down the line it might turn out to be a cult classic.
At the backdrop of the Battle
of Buxar, Gossain (Saif Ali Khan), a Naga Sadhu, looks to settle scores with Rehmat
Khan (Manav Vij). He is misled/assisted by the Widow (Zoya Hussain) the Tracker
(Deepak Dobriyal) and his two loyal dogs Sukhiram and Dukhiram.
Screenwriters Deepak
Venkateshan and Navdeep Singh stick to the main plot with very little space for
subplots. They have explored multiple aspects of the bygone political era – brutality
of Islamic landlords, Marathas gone off track, British capitalizing on opportunities
and a Naga’s commitment to his oath. Every character, designed by them, has a
grey shade. The director’s attention to detail in storytelling is simply
fantastic.
The pace drops at times but
the viewer is compensated by witty dialogues and gothic scenes. Some of them
literally take you to the edge of your seat. Traditional dialect of Bundelkhand
might be difficult to interpret but is the soul of the film. Locations in Rajasthan
are a treat for your eyes. A subtle background score ignores traditional folk
tunes.
Saif has given one of the
best performances of his life as Gossain. His choice of roles is getting better
with age. Deepak Dobriyal is extremely funny as the Tracker. Manav Vij
continues to perfect the antagonist (shades of which were seen earlier in
Andhadhun) while Zoya Hussain and Simone Singh provide valuable supports.
I am going with four and
half out of five and two big thumbs up for Laal Kaptaan. I genuinely regret
missing out on it in the theatres. Watch it on Amazon Prime.
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